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TICK TICK TICK
He awoke this morning to discover his mortality. This was a concept he had never beforeconsidered, it had never crossed his mind. He had never been to a funeral, came froma small family, an only child, his parents and grandparents still living, not that heever saw them, he valued his solitude. But this morning, while…
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Fuketsu’s Speech and Silence 無門關 二十四
Inward but not outwarda broken stick Outward but no inwarda broken stick A partridge singsin silenceflowers bloomat midnight Fuketsu smiles knowingly. A reflection on case 24 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)
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BLUE ON BLUE
The sun is shining brightly today,and the sky, with only the oddpassing cloud, is that certain blue. Do not ask me to describe that certainblue, but be assured it is not exactlythe blue that you are imagining right now. Even if I would describe it, in someinfinite detail, your vision of itwould at best be…
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WORMHOLE LOGIC
Getting a headache, are we? You feel like Schrodinger’s cat. It’s really like asking yourself if the Big Bang was the beginning of everything, what was there in that split second before the Big Bang? If God created everything, what created God? If time begins with the Big Bang, what time was it before there…
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CITIZEN OF . . .
There was a time that nowseems so very long ago, when Iwould freely admit, sometimes claimto be American, if not acknowledgingmy time in the Air Force as well. Those days are gone, as is the placeI knew, now morphed into somewheremuch the same, and entirely unrecognizable,and I am American by proximity, knowingmy welcome has been…
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TRAVEL THOUGHTS 2
In the City of Chicagoit appears to the visitorthat the expresswaysand most of the city streetswere paved by a blind manwith a rather poor sense of touch. First Appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Vol. 7, No. 10-12, October-December 1989.
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CATHEDRAL
Images inviting tears,ancient steeples falling,the evening sky uplitby flames dancing devilishly. They all say it cannot happenthat we must stop it, thatwe are powerless to actin defense of a symbol to the omnipotent, the allknowing, who dare not intervene,for our tributes are only that,beautiful offerings never requested or required, and moreto appease our consciencebut we…
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OUT OF THE NURSERY
The one question that has never hada proper answer still bothers me.Actually it gives rise to multiple questionswhich synergistically expand my displeasure. I get she had a lamb, and I don’t questionwhy, nor why hers was little, full size lambsare far more common, and seriouslywhat did she do, bleach it every few days? But those…
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BROKEN TRAY 鐵笛倒吹 九十
If you accidentally breaka wise man’s possessiondo you leave himwith one that is incompleteor two awaiting completion. If he asks you to replace ityou may search endlessly,bring him a thousand replacementsbut expect him to reject each oneas never being the sameas the original.If you grow dejected, rememberhe still has the originalin the cupboard. A reflection…
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SIPPING
I spent much of the afternoon tryingto imagine you, spending a small partof an afternoon reading this poem. I have no clear picture of where you are,but the chair is well cushioned, andyou sit deeply in it, a glass of some amber liquid on the glass and metalend table, just within arm’s reach.I suppose, since…