an old writer and his words

  • MORNING

    The clocks have begrudginglyshifted again, the earlymorning lost in darknessbarely illuminated by a waning moon.The fronds of the Royal Palm’swhisper “we are here, waitfor us.” But they are mere shadowsbegging for dawn’s arrival.Finally the sun engulfs the starswatching over the horizon,the fronds say “look at me,I will give you an infinitepalette of green that will…

    Lou Faber

  • NO ENTRY

    . Each night we go off to bedand close the bedroom doorbarring the cat from entryinto our sanctuary, the onlyroom in the house she is notfree to roam at her will.We do this because we are allergic,because she is a cat and cannotbe trusted not to do somethingwe might regret in the morning,because she is…

    Lou Faber

  • UNSAID

    There is so much you wish to sayand yet silence envelopes youwhile those who spoke are led away and you feel a moment’s dismayat what you were forced to do.There is so much you wish to say Gods and men you would inveighbut it was not your lot they drewwhile those who spoke are led…

    Lou Faber

  • FUNERIAL

    There are two types of gravesidefunerals for most people,three in my case, for twiceI have conducted the service wheremy attention was focusedon the prayers I would read.The two other types differ onlyin whether the departedis a close relativeor beloved friend,or someone more distantwhere you attend out of duty.For the beloved your attentionis on the casket…

    Lou Faber

  • BLEEDING EDGE

    Someone needs to tell old Murphyhe got it only half right.Sure things go wrongat the worst possible momentand that’s the half he got right.What he didn’t say, didn’t know,is that in our age of electronicsand planned obsolescencethings are perpetually going wrong,so of course some will do soat the worst possible momentand others will simply causebad…

    Lou Faber

  • GENYO’S ONE THING

    If you tell your teacherthat your sittingwas disturbed by a thoughthe may tell youto simply throw it away.If you say you cannotthrow away a thoughtfor it has no substancehe may smile and tellyou that you may keepits nothingness withoutfear for your practice. A reflection on case 57 of the Book of Equanimity (従容錄, Shōyōroku)

    Lou Faber

  • SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK?

    In a few momentsgive or take, the story will end.If you haven’t been paying attentionthe ending will makeno more sense to youthan the rest of the story.You may be asked whyyou came to see it, whatyou thought of it and youwill offer some amorphous commentsif you go with the flowof the conversations around you.I will…

    Lou Faber

  • TEMPUS, MEH

    As kids we knew that timewasn’t all that important,it was a concept of little meaningexcept that with which we imbued itand all of our senses coulddo things we never imagine.But now, at my age, timehas taken on new meaningas it compresses, andseasons are marked bybarely perceptible changesin temperature and humidity.The factories along the riverare mostly…

    Lou Faber

  • NOT THAT PICTURE

    Whoever first penned the adagethat picture is worth a thousand wordsand the multitude who haverepeated it ad nauseam in many languagesclearly never attended the partiesI once attended where, when the foodwas consumed, the guests adjournedto a den or living room wheresomeone wanted to form teams“for a spirited game of charades.”Then one poor, lost soul wouldstand…

    Lou Faber

  • ODE TO THE GODS

    You, who have walked herethrough the ages,who have watcheda million suns swallowedby untiring waves,what is it you expect?There is nothing here for youthe spirits of the old oneshave long since fledour sharpened blades,retreated with the starsinto the hillsthat rise from forest.The animals will cometo you no morefor we have served them upas a sacrifice to…

    Lou Faber