Sunday, July 31, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (78)
IT IS OFTEN
It is often nine,
but it's sometimes listed
as five, or seven, or twelve,
the planes of my existence,
the old monk said.
~
SOME PLANES
Some planes are plain,
some plains are planes,
the old monk observed.
~
LET THE DEVIL
Let the devil do
the devil's work --
don't do it for him,
the old monk said.
~
FRESH-SQUEEZED
Fresh-squeezed sadness,
or concentrate --
it's all the same,
the old monk said.
~
ANGELS SOMETIMES
Angels sometimes
appear as
cats and dogs,
the old monk said.
~
ENOUGH
Enough
is a blue rose,
the old monk said.
~
JUST STAND
Just stand in the middle of it
and imagine.
That's how you write a poem,
the old monk said.
~
IT'S A GOOD PREDICAMENT
It's a good predicament
for a writer to be worried
about running out of paper,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN MAKE
You can make a deal with the devil
but you can't make him keep it,
the old monk said.
~
IT'S NOT IMAGINATION
It's not imagination --
all night the stars are telling stories,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (268)
SEEING SPIRITS
Seeing spirits -- in darkness
or in the light -- is necessary
before you can ever hope to
touch God on the mountain,
the old monk said.
~
MY GUIDE
My guide is the hawk,
the old monk said,
my power in his
wings and talons, in
the might of his strike.
~
THE UNIVERSE IS
The universe is
the universe
dreaming itself,
the old monk said.
~
Friday, July 29, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (267)
WHEN THE BIRD
When the bird
of the sun
sings, listen.
This is God
speaking,
the old monk said.
~
BECAUSE WE CANNOT
Because we cannot be gods,
we have been blessed with trees
which teach us all we need to know,
the old monk said.
~
IF THEY INVITE YOU
If they invite you
to eat with them,
determine first if
they are daughters
of the gods, or
are they human,
the old monk said.
Do not eat with
daughters of the gods,
lest they also want to
teach you how to fly.
~
IN THE NEWS
Thursday, July 28, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (266)
WHAT IS HOLY
What is holy
on the mountain
is holy always
and everywhere
again and again,
thea old monk said.
~
IT IS IN
It is in the darkness
you see the face of God,
the old monk said.
~
IT IS THE MOUNTAIN
It is the mountain
which chooses who
goes up the mountain,
which chooses who
is lifted and delivered,
the old monk said.
~
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (265)
IN THE ECSTATIC
In the ecstatic moment
are all other moments,
or none of them,
the old monk says.
~
THE OLD PINE
The old pine
is no less
a god
than the stone
beneath it,
the old monk says,
even as
the stone is
all the god
there is.
~
ON THE MOUNTAIN
On the mountain
you can honor
all gods or
the one and
only god,
for the mountain
makes no such
distinctions,
the old monk says.
~
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (264)
EVERY FACE
Every face
is the face of God,
the old monk said.
~
THE STARS HAVE BEEN
The stars have been
thinking us
a very long time,
the old monk said.
~
LOVE / WANTS
Love
wants love.
Hate
wants it too,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, July 25, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (263)
WHEN THE RIVER
When the river
is not a god
in your mythology,
you have to make
your god a tree,
the old monk said.
~
IT ALWAYS SEEMS
It always seems
what you come back from
you still go forward to,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT PULLS
What pulls the Great Attractor
pulls us
and we fly towards it --
lightning and the acrid
smell of loss,
the old monk said.
~
Sunday, July 24, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (77)
A STAR IS BORN
A star is born
when other stars die,
the old monk told
the astronomer.
~
IF YOU REALLY ARE
If you really are
who you say you are,
let's see you fly,
the old monk
challenged him.
~
MUSIC IS
Music is just a lot
of banging on rocks
and hollow logs, trying
to find something
that sounds good,
the old monk said.
~
WHO CARES
Who cares when God
falls out of bed?
God does,
the old monk said.
~
IF I COULD LIVE
If I could live
another life
I'd spend it
writing
folk sayings,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU WANT IT
If you want it to rain
leave a wagon of corn sit out,
or a load of hay,
the old monk told the farmer.
~
RED AT NIGHT
Red at night
is another sunset,
the old monk said.
~
YOUR PATH
Your path up the mountain --
you are a creature of habit,
the old monk told him.
~
I COULD DO
I could do the math of the universe
but you're not really interested
in the answer, so why bother,
the old monk told his students.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (262)
YOU WANT SO MANY
You want so many things
but your prayers are useless if
you don't keep your head down,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT IS BEYOND
What is beyond
the blue sky
only the working
poets know,
the old monk said.
~
THE GODS LOVE
The gods love
those they love
and they don't
love us,
the old monk said.
~
Saturday, July 23, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (261)
IF YOU COME
If you come
to my church,
you don't have to,
the old monk said.
~
IT'S NOT SO
It's not so much
listening to yourself
as listening,
this poetry,
the old monk said.
~
INFINITY'S / NOT
Infinity's
not so difficult
once you get
the counting done,
the old monk says.
~
IN THE NEWS
A Green Bay Sweep
is when they know it's coming
and they can't stop it --
yours, gentlemen, was not
a Green Bay Sweep,
the old monk said.
Friday, July 22, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (260)
TRUTH / BOWS
Truth
bows before
beauty,
the old monk says.
~
THE FIRE
The fire
is not
the smoke,
the old
monk says.
Know what
you're
dealing with.
~
BEGINNER'S MIND
Beginner's mind
is a place to start,
the old monk told
his students.
~
Thursday, July 21, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (259)
WISDOM IS
Wisdom is
the basket,
not the apples,
the old monk says.
~
WHEN THE DOOR
When the door
is open
sometimes
you see things.
That's poetry,
the old monk says.
~
IF I KNEW
If I knew
what I was doing
why would I do it,
the old monk said.
~
IN THE NEWS
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (258)
SOME POEMS ARE
Some poems are like
writing upside down and backwards,
the old monk told the poet.
~
WE DO BASE 12
We do base 12 for time
and base 10 for money,
base 8 for music,
base 6 for half a dozen,
base 4 for music again,
and limbs,
base 2 for computers
and marriage.
That's how we count,
the old monk said.
~
OFTEN / WHAT
Often
what you find
on the mountain
is not
on the mountain,
the old monk told
his student.
~
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (257)
YOU HAVE TO
You have to
make them pause
if you want them to
pay attention,
the old monk said.
That's basic rhetoric.
~
SOMETIMES WANT
Sometimes want
is wanting,
the old monk said,
and sometimes it's
not having enough.
~
IF YOU TRY
If you try to put
everything on top,
something will fall,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, July 18, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (256)
YOU STUDY
You study
the emptiness,
you get
your degree,
then what?
Then you live
on the mountain,
the old monk said.
~
THE UNIVERSE IS
The universe is flat
because everything spins?
What caused the spinning,
the old monk asked.
~
WHEN YOU GO
When you go out
of your body
you won't always
fit back in
exactly. Be
prepared for that,
the old monk told
his students.
~
IN THE NEWS
Trump is causing inflation,
the old monk said.
All the money people send him,
if they gave it to waiters and clerks,
would still be in circulation.
Sunday, July 17, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (76)
NUMBERS WORKING OUT
Numbers working out
the way they're supposed to?
I worry,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT IS
What is
the function
of function,
the old monk
wondered.
~
THINGS GO ON
Things go on
because it is in
the nature of things
to want to go on,
the old monk said.
~
NOBODY WANTS TO BE
Nobody wants to be the clown
but everyone wants that freedom,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT DO YOU GIVE UP
What do you give up
when you give up,
the old monk asked them.
~
NOT EVEN GOD
Not even God could do
what a purring cat does,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT WERE YOU SINGING
What were you singing
when your father's ghost came in,
the old monk asked his student.
~
YOU TRY TO SLEEP
You try to sleep
in the hay --
the ground is hard,
the shepherd told
the old monk.
~
THEY CALL MY NAME
They call my name.
They call my
name.
They call
my name.
They
call my name.
They call my name,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (255)
WHATEVER IT DOES
Whatever it does
it doesn't undo,
so be careful,
the old monk said.
~
WHERE IT STARTS
Where it starts is
not where it ends
unless it's a
circular track,
the old monk said.
~
IF IT'S PARALLEL
If it's parallel
but wobbles,
that's our chance
to find another
universe,
the old monk said.
~
IN THE NEWS
Saturday, July 16, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (254)
HOW MANY
How many platforms
do I have to construct
to find the one I want
to spend forty days on,
the old monk asked
his master.
~
EVERYTHING I SAY
Everything I say
I already said
you don't have to
write down again,
the old monk told
his students.
~
YOU CAN BREAK
You can break
what you make
or call it art --
either way,
no pressure,
the old monk said.
~
IN THE NEWS
Friday, July 15, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (253)
IN THE DESERT
In the desert,
of course, and even
on the mountain
the djinn will call,
the old monk warned.
~
SOME STARS
Some stars are stars
and some are invitations,
the old monk said.
~
WHEN YOU FIND
When you find it
you find it --
that's why it
was waiting,
the old monk said.
~
Thursday, July 14, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (252)
HOW
How
aching-
ly close
need and
want are,
the old
monk said.
~
THE MORE I DON'T
The more I don't
understand,
the more I do,
the old monk told
his master.
~
SOMETIMES / THE BLACKBOARD'S
Sometimes
the blackboard's
wiped clean
and I have
nothing
to tell you,
the old monk told
his students.
~
IN THE NEWS
To understand events today
it might help to know that
after Cain killed Abel,
he moved to Russia,
the old monk said.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (251)
THE FASTER
The faster the universe
flies apart,
the sooner it will turn
inside out,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT IF
What if
God is
just a cat
playing with
a ball of yarn,
the old monk wondered.
~
ALL THIS TIME
All this time
after all this time --
the universe knows,
the old monk said.
~
IN THE NEWS
Planning only leads to disappointment,
the old monk said, thinking maybe
he was plagiarizing some Russian.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (250)
THE WAY
The way you find your voice --
you steal your father's
the old monk said.
~
ASK THAT
Ask that stone
what to do,
the old monk said.
It will tell you
what you need
to know.
~
A SHELF OF CLOUD
A shelf of cloud
coming from the west,
what kind of lesson
does that teach,
the old monk asked
his master.
~
IN THE NEWS
Monday, July 11, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (249)
IN THE DESERT
In the desert
you have to know --
you can't ask
directions,
the old monk said.
~
YOU TURN
You turn.
You turn back.
Can you return
to where
you turned from,
the old monk asked.
~
THERE ARE
There are omens
and portents,
the old monk said,
but not nearly
as many
as you think.
~
IN THE NEWS
The Russian soul has been dark
for a very long time.
That's why they fight, and drink,
the old monk said.
They have no angels.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (75)
SOMETIMES YOU DRIVE
Sometimes you drive faster
going to than coming home --
it depends on what you're after,
the old monk said.
~
WATER CAN TEACH US
Water can teach us --
take the path of least resistance.
Rock can teach us too,
but that's a harder lesson,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU WRITE
If you write to
make something pretty
you shouldn't
look at my handwriting,
the old monk said.
~
THE KIND OF WISDOM
The kind of wisdom
that allows a monk to fly
doesn't weigh heavy,
the old monk said.
~
YOU ARE SCREWING WITH MEANING
You are screwing with meaning
when you change the line breaks,
the old monk told the poet.
~
SOME THINGS I SAY
Some things I say
are so astonishing
I surprise myself,
the old monk said.
~
A FLASH A BRILLIANCE
A flash of brilliance
lasts fifty years at least,
the old monk said.
~
PONDER THE POUNDER
Ponder the pounder
the old monk said
about his ancient hammer.
~
A LITTLE IS
A little is a good start
when you're working the long haul,
the old monk said, and he
didn't know what it meant.
~
GOD AND I MADE A DEAL
God and I made a deal --
he stays on his side of the bed,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (248)
SIDEWAYS
Sideways
is how you
get there,
living on
the mountain,
the old monk said.
~
GO ALL IN
Go all in
at the end
and get it
over with,
the old monk told
his best runner.
~
DARK ENERGY
Dark energy
is the space
between atoms,
isn't it,
the old monk asked
the physicist.
~
IN THE NEWS
The world keeps
telling us
what it needs
and we don't
listen,
the old monk said.
We think the wind
is just the wind.
Saturday, July 09, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (247)
THE THING ABOUT HERMITS
The thing about hermits --
they don't like to bathe,
the old monk said.
~
HOW IS IT
How is it possible
to think impossible things,
the old monk asked.
~
THE WIND AT
The wind at
the old monk's hut
doesn't go quiet
for anyone.
~
Friday, July 08, 2022
IN THE NEWS
It's the old ones
holding their grandchildren
who will not give up so easy,
the old monk explained
to the Russians.
That's why you'll
never win.
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (246)
YOU FIND
You find the berries
and pick them,
you can't make them
just appear,
the old monk said
about life on
the mountain.
~
THE WIND KNOWS
The wind knows
what it takes
to make you fly,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CANNOT
You cannot
change your mind --
it was already changed
by your changing,
the old monk said.
~
Thursday, July 07, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (245)
STAND HERE
Stand here and wait
long enough, you will
know what life's like
on the mountain,
the old monk said
~
IF ONLY WE COULD
If only we could make
people talk poetry,
the old monk exclaimed.
~
YOU DO IT
You do it with your ear,
not on your fingers,
if you do it at all,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
IN THE NEWS
Wednesday, July 06, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (244)
AS ALIKE AS
As alike as
two unlike
things can be,
the old monk said
about his brother.
~
YOU OPEN YOUR
You open your mouth,
your words will come out,
so, just, don't,
the old monk
advised himself.
~
HOW MUCH
How much do you want
when a few is enough
with what you've got,
the old monk asked.
~
IN THE NEWS
Tuesday, July 05, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (243)
IF YOU KEEP
If you keep carrying
all the baggage,
the old monk told
his student,
you'll surely fall behind.
~
IT'S A STRANGE
It's a strange
sort of wisdom,
the old monk
admitted
when his students
asked about
his teachings.
~
THE FIRST THING
The first thing you do
before you die
is say good-bye.
It's also the last thing,
the old monk said.
~
IN THE NEWS
Sometimes you just have to stop
worrying about the world and
view it as entertainment,
the old monk said.
You go crazy if you don't.
Just live your lives and love each other.
I don't mean give up.
I mean sweep your walk.
Monday, July 04, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (242)
GO UP
Go up the mountain
and see if you still think that
when you come back down,
the old monk told his student.
~
IF THE FIRST
If the first thing you say
is I love you too,
why did you wait,
the old monk asked.
~
IT'S EVERYWHERE
It's everywhere,
the old monk said.
You can find it
on the mountain,
if you want to,
but it's also
here, right here.
~
Sunday, July 03, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (74)
SOME NIGHTS
Some nights
the sky goes dark
and you don't think
a single thought,
the old monk said.
~
EVEN IF
Even if it's emptiness
you have something to think about,
the old monk said.
~
STOP BEFORE
Stop before
you've made it plain,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
AT THE BOTTOM
At the bottom
is where you begin
and where you end,
the old monk said.
~
DON'T HANDLE
Don't handle more than you can handle,
especially the venomous snakes,
the old monk advised.
~
IT'S COMING APART
It's coming apart
just before sleep that
makes for a bad night,
the old monk said.
~
IF IT DIDN'T HURT
If it didn't hurt
how would you know
you meant it,
the old monk asked.
~
THE TENSE
The tense
of your verb
depends on
where
you're standing,
the old monk said.
~
AS THE UNIVERSE
As the universe
flies apart
what is it
flying apart from,
the old monk
wondered.
Does it leave
an emptiness?
~
FIND THE WAY
Find the way is easy --
there's a map in the night sky,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (241)
SOMETIMES WHISPERING
Sometimes whispering
draws them in,
the old monk told
the preacher about
those in the back.
~
SOMEDAY MY STUDENT
Someday my student
will be someone's master --
I shudder to think,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU DO IT
If you do it right,
the old monk said,
eventually your student
finds his mountain.
~
Saturday, July 02, 2022
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (240)
NO ONE
No one wants
what you get
when you undo
it going backwards,
the old monk said.
~
HOW FAR OUT
How far out
do you think
you can go
before you
think about
coming back,
the old monk asked.
~
THEY ARE ALL
They are all around us,
the stars that are angels,
the old monk said
about the night sky.
~
