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.
~
