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ALOFT
He had always imagined coveringhis body in feathers.He knew it wouldn’t make him ableto take flight, but it would, he was certaingrant him a certain lightnessthat gravity and daily life denied him.And he knew that once coveredin his dreams he could soarfree of the restrictions thathis conscious mind imposed on him,restrictions, he knew, that werethe…
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I WANT
I want the sky to be that certain crimsontinged with burnt sienna and cinnabar,but today winter is holding swayand the sun sneaks off behindthe gray wall from which it only peeked,and left the day one of grayscalewhere intensity replaced beautyand even the cardinal opted to stayhigh in the spruce, offeringonly an occasional glint of red.We…
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PELICAN
The pelican hasn’t been aroundfor a couple of days, and we misshis akimbo dives into the pond,surfacing and throwing his head backto show he’s swallowing his catcheven though we suspect some of the timehe caught nothing at all, but knowingwe’re as gullible an audienceas he is likely to find any time soon.We hope he is…
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NOT TWICE
It is said that you can never go home againpresuming, of course, that you have left at some point.The fallacy of this statement is apparent,for there is often nothing preventing your return.What would make the statement accurateis that you can never go home againto exactly the same home you leftfor your leaving alters the place…
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ECHU EXPELS A DISCIPLE 鐵笛倒吹 語十三
If you come upon Echu napping do not disturb him but retreat to the zendo or walk in the small garden where enlightenment may be found. If the search is successful leave quickly, tell no one, for it is very fragile and the tongue is sharper than the sword and infinitely more deadly. A reflection…
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ON THE BEACH
It washed up on the beach this morning,stopped right at my feet, as Istared down at it, examining it carefully.It message was clear at first, a taletoo hard to swallow, of creaturestossed about by a storm that no onesaw, from an age in which no onenow alive could have experienced.The message described a magic landof…
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HAIKU
The small house fly hasno arachnophobiaonly once in life. In the Norway Sprucepine cones threaten to descend.Squirrels sit waiting. In the sunlit parkthe small dog watches the mango fetch the thrown ball Maple leaves emergealmost certain that winteris now history A rain of petalscherry snow covers the groundwe await the fruit.
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3 TANKA
Antphonal songs Mockingbirds greet the morning Great Blue Herons stare imagining their voices night sweetly welcome the dawn The great temple bell awaits the morning, the monk, its daily purpose cast deep within the metal always verging on release Smoke of incense too prostrates itself to Buddha soon a morning breeze promises enlightenment or the…
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SEPPO CUTS TREES 鐵笛倒吹 二十三
Will you spend all of your time sharpening the blade or will you use it on the tree and if you strike the pith what will you say then? To speak of the sap flowing freely from the wound of the axe is utter foolishness it has no taste on the finger better to feel…
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MESA MORNING
Out here, he warned, you should always be on the lookout for snakes by day, not that they will go out of their way to attack you, but stray into their territory and the Western Diamondback will give you a quick lesson in awareness. They hide among the scrub sage and in the arroyos, but…
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an old writer and his words 