Tuesday, May 31, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (215)
IF YOU COULD
If you could
tell a joke
in one sentence,
how would
that work,
the old monk
wondered.
~
THERE ARE SOME
There are some things
the old monk won't say,
but he doesn't know which.
~
THE SKY DOESN'T
The sky doesn't know
it's beautiful,
that's why it's blue,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, May 30, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (214)
WHEN THE BOUNCING
When the bouncing
goes forward,
that's music,
the old monk said.
~
SOMETIMES YOU SPEAK
Sometimes you speak to the silence,
sometimes it speaks to you,
the old monk said.
~
IF ALL THIS
If all this
comes to an end
early, let's
stop for a beer,
the old monk told
the particle physicist
about his black hole
experiment.
~
Sunday, May 29, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (69)
WHEN I DO MATH
When I do math in my head
I do it on the chalkboard there,
the old monk admitted.
~
OUT AT THE FARTHEST STARS
Out at the farthest stars,
there at the very edge,
they don't ponder the question
what is beyond us,
the old monk said.
~
YOU MAY SPEAK
You may speak
to the spirits above
and the spirits below,
but they might not
speak to you,
the old monk said.
~
SOMETIMES YOU MAKE THE JOURNEY
Sometimes you make the journey
and sometimes the wind takes you,
the old monk said.
~
NEBRASKA GOES
Nebraska goes
where the wind has been,
the old monk noticed.
~
GRAVITY IS
Gravity is
another
kind of time,
the old monk said.
~
YOU HONOR
You honor
all gods when
you honor
your God,
the old monk said.
~
IT IS MUSIC
It is music
which calls
the gods in
and poetry
which carries
our prayers,
the old monk said.
~
OTHER THAN
Other than
this moment,
nothing,
the old monk said.
~
ONE SILENCE
One silence
is this moment.
The other is
the great emptiness
beyond us,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (213)
IF YOU COULD
If you could catch it
it wouldn't be fast,
the old monk said
about his fastball.
~
HOW IT IS
How it is
when it comes apart
is how it is,
the old monk told
the mechanic.
~
I DON'T WANT
I don't want to
and I do it
anyway -- that's
why you practice,
the old monk said.
~
Saturday, May 28, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (212)
THE DAYS FLY
The days fly,
nights come fast,
the old monk said,
explaining time
on the mountain.
~
ANY OF
Any of the mountain
is the mountain,
the old monk says.
~
ABOUT THE TIME
About the time
I think of coffee,
I get up,
the old monk said
about his habits.
~
Thursday, May 26, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (211)
SOMETIMES THE WORLD
Sometimes the world
seems so thick
I have to stand still,
the old monk says.
~
ALL THESE VOICES
All these voices
in my head,
I thought I left them
on the mountain,
the old monk said.
~
SOMETIMES
Sometimes
just enough
is about right,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, May 23, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (210)
KNOWING A WOMAN
Knowing a woman
is like being
a good piece of wood --
she puts you where
she wants you and
you stay,
the old monk said.
~
I HAVE STOOD
I have stood
in the dry grass
in the wind
at the end
of summer
waiting for
the horses
to return,
the old monk said.
I have seen
the stars
come home.
~
2 X 5
2 x 5 is
two elbows and a fist,
the old monk said.
2 x 10 you can imagine.
~
Sunday, May 22, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (68)
THERE'S NOT MUCH MORE
There's not much more to say
when you've said too much,
the old monk told them.
~
CHARGE BY THE HOUR
Charge by the hour
if you're afraid to make
too much money,
the old monk advised.
~
THE OLD COW
The old cow
knows her stall.
What does
the old monk know?
~
WHEN A SURFACE
When a surface
has only one side
the stars can be
anywhere,
the old monk told
the astronomers.
~
IT SOUNDS LIKE WISDOM
It sounds like wisdom
until you think about it,
the master said
about the old monk.
~
LIGHTNING CARRIES
Lightning carries
the strictest message,
the old monk said.
~
IF THERE ARE STILL
If there are still
goats in the market
the day's not over,
the old monk said.
~
THE WORLD GOES
The world goes
where the world
doesn't want to,
the old monk said.
That's the way it is.
~
DON'T PUT YOUR HOPE
Don't put your hope
in a leaky barrel,
the old monk said.
~
A SLOW AFTERNOON
A slow afternoon,
the sky undressing.
Distance wasn't
the only thing
the old monk noticed.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (209)
WRITE FASTER
Writer faster
when the going's slow,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
I SUPPOSE
I suppose,
the old monk said,
your good advice is
is good for anyone
except maybe a
Greenland Inuit.
~
NOT EVERY BEAT
Not every beat sounds the same,
even on a hollow log,
the old monk says.
~
Saturday, May 21, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (208)
IF THEY'RE PARALLEL
If they're parallel,
that's good,
and if it's square,
even better,
the old monk said.
~
MUCH IS SUCH
Much is such a word
you wonder where
did it come from,
the old monk said.
~
MOVE IT UP
Move it up,
move it down,
no one cares,
the old monk said.
They're looking
at the stars.
~
Friday, May 20, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (207)
SOMETIMES
Sometimes
in the evening
after the stars
have gotten
comfortable,
the trees might start
to talk to you,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU DON'T
If you don't know
if you wrote it,
you probably didn't,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
STOP AND THINK ABOUT
Stop and think about
there's so much to
stop and think about,
the old monk said.
~
Thursday, May 19, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (206)
IF YOU HAVE TO
If you have to
draw a line under
your meaning, you're not
being funny,
the old monk told
the comedian.
I'd have to say that
a different way for
mathematicians,
he added.
~
ALL OF IT
All of it
is everything
even what's out
beyond the stars,
the old monk says.
~
SOME CONVERSATIONS
Some conversations
are like playing chess,
some are like sitting
in afternoon sun,
the old monk said.
~
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
IN THE NEWS
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (205)
DOWNSTREAM
Downstream
is either
wider or
deeper in
my experience,
the old monk says.
~
ONLY WHEN IT
Only when you want to
is like wind
moving in the grasses,
the old monk said.
~
LIKE THE SKY'S
Like the sky's
on fire every
sunset, then
the enforcer star
puts it out,
the old monk said.
That's what life on
the mountain is like.
~
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (204)
IT'S ONE OF THOSE
It's one of those nights
where you feel good and
the wind will let you sleep,
the old monk promised.
~
IF THEY ASK
If they ask
when he started,
say he was
an old man,
the old monk said.
That looks more
impressive.
~
DID YOU
Did you do that
or did it come that way,
the old monk asked the poet
about his poem.
~
Monday, May 16, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (203)
PUT YOUR HAND
Put your hand down
until it knows patience,
the old monk told
the eager student.
~
ALONENESS
Aloneness
is lonelier
when you're in love,
the old monk says.
~
ONE DOES
One does
what one must
do, or else,
the old monk said.
~
Sunday, May 15, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (67)
HOW STRANGE
How strange is the world
when the crickets are silent,
the old monk noticed.
~
SHADOWS ARE
Shadows are
the spirit
you do not
wish to see,
the old monk said.
~
A FEW WORDS
A few words
next to each other --
it's like a fire
starting,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
I HAVE BEEN THERE
I have been there --
I have been all the way there
and back, the old monk
told his students.
They knew he was
talking about the top
of the mountain.
~
IT'S LIKE TRYING
It's like trying to think on Mars,
the old monk said about the coffee shop.
~
THE EVENING WILL SAY
The evening will say
what the evening always
says: Rest here awhile
in my arms,
the old monk told them.
~
IF YOU'RE LOOKING
If you're looking
for a gun barrel
poking out a window,
you're too late,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU PAY ENOUGH
If you pay enough
someone will get it done,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU NEED
If you need
more details,
I can make
something up,
the old monk said.
~
WHERE IS THE ELECTRICITY
Where is the electricity
when the light is off,
the old monk asked.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (202)
SOMETIMES IT'S JUST
Sometimes it's just
something to hug,
the angel who
holds you,
the old monk says.
~
OF ALL THE THINGS
Of all the things
you can do
nothing helps the least,
the old monk says.
~
YOU LISTEN
You listen to the wind
maybe a hundred times
before you understand
what it's saying,
the old monk told them.
~
Thursday, May 12, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (201)
THE MUZZLE VELOCITY
The muzzle velocity
of your smart mouth
is probably not
enough, the old monk
told his student. I give
these tests all the time.
~
IF YOU WAIT
If you wait
long enough
what goes around
will come this way,
the old monk says.
~
DON'T GET TOO
Don't get too
comfortable
on the mountain --
that's not what
it's there for,
the old monk told
his students.
~
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (200)
YOU ALWAYS
You always feel it
where the bone broke,
the old monk said
about the weather.
~
SOMEONE WILL SAY
Someone will say
he said something sweet,
that old geezer,
the old monk told
the reporter.
~
LIKE THAT
Like that
it's like that,
it happens
so fast,
the old monk said.
~
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (199)
IF THERE ARE
If there are enough
to do it,
there won't be enough
to undo it,
the old monk said.
That's how
the world works.
~
SOME SAY
Some say goodbye
to say goodbye.
Some say nothing,
the old monk noticed.
~
IF YOU WANT
If you want to keep working
the stars will wait for morning,
the old monk told his students.
~
Monday, May 09, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (198)
ALL THAT MOTION
All that motion
generates something,
the old monk said,
an E-flat note
the universe hums.
~
WHAT'S AROUND
What's around the corner
is right in front of you
if you pay attention,
the old monk says.
~
IF I WROTE IT
If I wrote it,
I can read it,
the old monk said.
If I can't,
ask God.
~
Sunday, May 08, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (66)
IF YOU DON'T KNOW
If you don't know
the answer,
explore the question,
the old monk told
the students just
before the test.
~
THIS IS WAY MORE
This is way more
about the body
than I want it to be,
the old monk said
when the master
told him to exercise.
~
EVEN ON TUESDAY
Even on Tuesday
the angels were still talking,
the old monk noticed.
~
YOU SAY ANYTHING
You say anything
because you think it's
better than nothing,
the old monk scolded
his students.
I have that problem,
too, he added.
~
THE GREAT HAWK WATCHES
The great hawk watches --
that I can promise,
the old monk told the students.
You can tell by the light.
~
THE HERMITS
The hermits
on the mountain
do for fun
what we do
for business,
the old monk said.
~
IT'S ALMOST AS IF
It's almost as if
the universe
doesn't matter --
only the emtpiness
between the stars,
the old monk said.
~
LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE
Love what you love
while you have it --
the mountain is not kind,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU THINK
If you think
you can understand
what he's thinking
by what he says
you'll be sadly
mistaken,
the master said
about the old monk.
~
YOU WILL NOT KNOW
You will not know the way
when the journey takes you.
You only know the way
when you turn for home,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (197)
ABOUT AN HOUR
About an hour
or two hours,
the old monk says --
the Zen will
occupy you
as long as it can.
~
THE UNIVERSE KNOWS
The universe knows
all of what we can
only see part of,
the old monk says.
~
IF THE SAINTS
If the saints won't sing for you,
maybe the angels will,
the old monk said,
but don't count on it.
~
Saturday, May 07, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (196)
I LIKE WRITING
I like writing
a poem that does
what it does
without me,
the old monk said.
~
IT'S HARD
It's hard not to
believe what you believe,
the old monk said.
~
THE TIME OF DAY
The time of day
makes no difference,
the old monk said.
Happiness is
happiness.
~
Friday, May 06, 2022
IN THE NEWS
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (195)
WHAT YOU SEE
What you see
is what it is
whether you know
it or not,
the old monk said.
~
AS MANY AS
As many as you want,
a dollar each --
they're poems,
the old monk said at
his stall in the market.
~
THE EDGE
The edge of the universe
protects us
from what lies
farther on,
the old monk said.
~
Thursday, May 05, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (194)
YOU WANT
You want
what you want
even before
you know
what you want,
the old monk said.
~
COMPOSE AS MANY
Compose as many poems
as you like -- make money
off the volume,
the old monk said.
~
SOMETIMES THE ZEN
Sometimes the Zen
flies off by itself,
the old monk said.
~
Wednesday, May 04, 2022
IN THE NEWS
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (193)
E = MC-SQUARED
E = mc-squared
means we offer ourselves
to God as fast as
God offers himself,
the old monk says.
~
BACK IN THE BEGINNING
Back inthe beginning
we ate what we bumped,
the old monk says.
~
SWING IT
Swing it
as fast as
you can and
let it fly --
that's what
hope is,
the old
monk said.
~
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (192)
THEY'RE ALWAYS
They're always
harder to handle
when they know
what they want,
the old monk says.
~
A DOZEN OR
A dozen or
eleventy-some,
as we like to
approximate,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU CAN FLY
If you can fly,
fly, but don't
go bragging,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, May 02, 2022
IN THE NEWS
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (191)
WHAT IT WANTS
What it wants is
that you want it,
what you can't have,
the old monk says.
~
WHAT YOU WANT
What you want
is always right there
where you want it,
the old monk says.
~
SEE HOW CLOSE
See how close it
gets to silence,
the singing bowl,
the old monk says.
~
Sunday, May 01, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (65)
SOME NIGHTS THE MOON
Some nights the moon sings
but you have to listen
with your good ear,
the old monk said.
~
NOT EVERYTHING
Not everything
that is missing
is lost,
the old monk said.
~
IT DOESN'T MATTER
It doesn't matter
what the card says
if you buy her
flowers,
the old monk noticed.
~
YOU NEED TO SEE
You need to see
the harbor
so you know it's
Boston,
the old monk agreed.
~
EVERY DAY
Every day
all these atoms
agree to be
me --
I'm honored,
the old monk said.
~
IF IT'S SADNESS
If it's sadness you want,
the old monk told them,
listen to the river.
~
THINK HOW SAD
Think how sad
the mountain is
with all the sorrow,
the old monk said.
~
A ROCK CANNOT
A rock cannot be
bigger than God,
though some of them
have tried,
the old monk said.
~
FALLING FROM GRACE
Falling from grace
is like falling,
with a similar
outcome,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN'T PLAY CARDS
You can't play cards with God
because he can see yours,
the old monk explained.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (190)
YOU JUST WANT
You just want
to let it.
If you can
do that, the rest
is easy,
the old monk said.
~
ABANDONMENT
Abandonment
is the unchosen
emptiness,
the old monk says.
~
WHERE YOU FIND IT
Where you find it
is always
where you stop looking,
the old monk says.
~
