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CONVERSATION
Arising into nightthe departing suntangoes away with its cloud,memories soon forgotten.Other dancers take the stage,now a romance, nowa war dance, feathers raisedin prayer to unseen gods.Night will soon bringits curtain across this stage,the avian cast’s final bows takenthe theatre will darken, awaitinganother performance,a new script tomorrow,but for this solitary momentof frozen grace, it is wewho…
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BLESSED
Barchu, for the slugs of the Chinese knockoff AK47 which tore through his legs, twisting to avoid the artery and nerves. Barchu, for the moon hanging in the frosted night seeking shelter in the mist cutting into me, lashing me to reality. Barchu, for their memory the small circle of candles that burn eternally in…
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RECYCLED NEWS
The newspapers pile up,their headlines screamout, sections of business newsor the arts, and a halfcompleted crossword., They sit patiently, knowingmuch has happened that weought to know, but wehave grown tired of deathand so each week we place them in the binwhere they are takento the dump wherethe lessons of the newsgo to die forgotten.
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PLAYLIST
I realize now justhow old I have gotten,no laughing any longer at the old men alwaystucking pills into a sorterneatly marked by day and time, for I now do my ownweekly, the number of pillsseeming to propogate by month. I suppose it is timeto begin working in earneston the playlist for my funeral. I’ll be…
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YAKUSAN’S DISCOURSE
When the master takes his seatwhat do you expect of him?Do you watch his postureor how his hands are set.Do you stare at his lipsand what do you hearwhen they move, but no soundcomes from his throat.Listen carefully, for herethe dharma unfoldslike the first chrysanthemum. A reflection on Case 79 of the Shobogenzo (Dogen’s True…
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APPROACHING AUTUMN
This is the seasonwhen the maplesbegan their rainof colored tears. It may still be so,but not here,and the palmsknow no seasons. Once there wasa veil of lilac,bushes trying tooutdo the others. But at leastthe magnolias carenothing for distanceoffering their beauty here and where wenow have onlymemories of the ebband flow of seasons.
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VENEER
Peel back the veneerto discover the objectalways below the surfacefor all objects have veneersand the true objectalways lies beneath. Grasp this new object,study and consider itthen peel backits veneer and discoverthe true object’strue object. Continue as thoughplaying withan infinite setof Matryoshka dollsuntil you realizethe true objectis no object at all.
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BALLET OF THE GODS
Once they pierced your heelsto hobble you, bound upfeet and ankles to lashyou to the earth, there weren’tangels then, no wings, just the painof toes crushed inward,the silent agony of motion,a cruel joke played by godsstarved for entertainment.But Terpsichore, hearingErato’s song, set them freebrought them to a pointe,allowed them to take winglessflight, and toes became…
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FOUR ZEN HAIKU
myself is no selfno self is universalinfinite being emptiness surroundsall forms are illusorythis is samadhi compassion aboundsalways out of your sightuntil you live it dharmas teach nothingcontain infinite knowledgejust stop looking
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REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM
Gertrude Stein saidpoetry is vocabulary,or so Simic reported it,but in that casewhat do we makeof Haiku, wherea poem at maximumcan use onlyseventeen words. Perhaps, if wefollow Levi-Strausshaiku is not poetrybut art, for all artis reductionand there is littleyou can doto reducea haiku further.
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