an old writer and his words

  • YEARBOOK REFLECTION

    Knowing that mybiological parents’pictures were somewherein the yearbooksI had before meI thought that Iwould search withoutlooking at the names. No one lookedat all like the meI see in the mirrornor the me I amshocked to seein my own yearbook. Yet finding themby name I quicklyrealized that Iwas their amalgama face neitherwould have recognizedno matter howsmall…

    Lou Faber

  • DEEP

    Deep beneath the Arctic icethe whale songs shimmerin the harsh lightof a frozen sun.We strive to hear them,hear nothing, hear onlyour thoughts echoingthrough cavernous memories.With thoughts of what was,what we wish had been,we are ambient noisein a universe whichcradles hope, craves silence.Dolphins dream of dayswhen the sea was theirs,lives lived in a slow paradisea world…

    Lou Faber

  • MADE IN

    You learn to shop carefully,always searching for wherean item is made, avoiding placesyou know are not socially responsible. The search is complicatedby the lack of nearby stores,by the ubiquity of Amazon,by the certainty that the productwon’t arrive for some time,and when you find oneyou like, you scroll downand see the magic buzzword“Imported” and you knowfrom…

    Lou Faber

  • TOZAN’S TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN 正法眼蔵 四十九

    When you are askedto climb to the topof the mountain and lookin all directionsand report who you see,if you see no one, howwill you respond?Close your eyesand tell me,am I still here? A reflection on case 49 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (True Dharma Eye)

    Lou Faber

  • FORWARD

    As a child I was quite fondof staring into the futurefor hours on end, whenmy parents told meto get my head out of booksand go outside to play. I never could see muchin my staring, thoughtI was probably myopicbut my parents said Icouldn’t need glasses, theycost far too muchfor someone my age. I realize now,…

    Lou Faber

  • GENSHA’S THREE VEHICLES 正法眼蔵 四十語

    Describe this momentwithout use of word or sound –see where you arewith eyes pressed tightly closed,hear a song with utter silence,taste the pure mountain airreach out and touchthat which has no shapeor form, no essenceand you sitin the middleof reality. A reflection on case 45 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (True Dharma Eye)

    Lou Faber

  • CHARMING

    You said it was a lucky charm,but I know my cereals and itclearly wasn’t that, nor was ita faked foot of some leporidaesylvilagus, even you would neverbe that cruel, you are a veganafter all, even your shoes aresome unholy man-made material. And I don’t believe in luck,I’ve never had it, good or badalthough I do…

    Lou Faber

  • RENTAL

    The mountain reachesup grasping clouds.The river no longer runsred down its flanksnow traversedby a black ribbontwisting upward.The Hertz rentalhas a warningtaped on the glove boxdriving above 5,000 feetis prohibited, andat the driver’s risk.The Minolta sitsin the trunkas I denythe siren’s call. FirstAppeared in Raconteur, Issue 3, January 1996.

    Lou Faber

  • FLIGHT

    He began his trek up the mountain early in the morning to allow time for the ascent and return. He’d planned this carefully, and proceeded slowly so as not to be put off his goal. He smiled as he passed through a low hanging cloud layer, erasing the ground from which he set off on…

    Lou Faber

  • KISO CUTS A SNAKE 正法眼蔵 四十三

    Snakes, like coins,have both head and tail.If I cut a snake in two,have I two snakes,or none at all?Walk carefullyfor the spadethat cuts the snakecan dig an inescapable abyss. A reflection on case 43 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (True Dharma Eye)

    Lou Faber