an old writer and his words

  • IT WILL BE EASY

    It will be easy, he says, you justfish a wire down inside the wall,find the hole you cut, put inthe box and wire it up,no big deal at all, easy really. She grimaced immediately,then turned away from him to sigh,for she knew that any time a mandecided something was easy,no big deal, a day or…

    Lou Faber

  • SEIGAN’S COST OF RICE

    You may wander endlessly in search of the true dharma. It is not under that rock, not in those bushes, not around the next bend. Look down and ask yourself where are you standing in this moment, then gently lift  your feet off of the heart of the dharma A reflection on case 5 of…

    Lou Faber

  • TALKING ART

    The good and the bad of acquiring a new work of art is that you have to listen carefully when it tells you just where in your home it has to be. You may have other ideas, but it is best to set them aside, for ultimately the art knows far better than you. All…

    Lou Faber

  • A MATTER OF TIME

    It was onlya matter of time,and the time has comewhen the Chinesewould abandonthe time honored“please to beplacing the Tab Awithinside the sloton Part E,”and insteadmerely showundecipherablepictures of parts,so that withbut a singleset of instructionsthey can frustratebuyers in all nations.

    Lou Faber

  • BEGGAR’S TALE

    I speak clearly, conciselyin an ancient, long forgottentongue that none understand. I tell my tale, leaving outnothing, a summonerin a deaf world, whispering of coins, pulled froman empty pocket and castat your feet, soundless. I point to signs, letteredin my careful hand, withoutmeaning, cryptic to you You urge me to trustin your god even asyou…

    Lou Faber

  • KEEPING TO THE SCHEDULE

    The cat has had a busy day,supervising all mannerof domestic affairs, allthe while offeringa running commentaryon our successesand failures in the useand maintenanceof her home. She did take timefor several pettingsand brushings, necessaryshe says, to keep ourjoints lubricated as weget down to the flooror flex our wrists. She reminded usit was timeto feed her, thenwalked…

    Lou Faber

  • REALITY, OF A SORT

    The single greatest problemwith dreams is that theyare utterly real when youare dreaming, the absurdis not only permittedbut expected, and in thatmoment it is hardly absurd. The dead and living comeand go with impunity,and you welcome themas real people becausefor that period of timethey are as real as you are. But awakening, you realizeit was…

    Lou Faber

  • HEAVEN CAN WAIT

    A Rabbi once told me thatif you want to get to heaven,something Jews don’t believe in,you must atone to those youhave harmed, or injuredbefore you die. I’ve started making a list,and it feels like I am insome wierd version ofHigh Fidelity, but mineis more than a top five. I’ve made a few efforts,some accepted, some…

    Lou Faber

  • NOT COUNTING

    I have had two,although the first is longforgotten, so perhaps itno longer counts, itcertainly didn’t to her,announcing its endlike the conductorof a train running lateon the mainline to sadness. Perhaps I have not forgottenbut all I see is myselfstanding alone, intoningwords to which the crowdintently listens, much likethe audience at a readingby a lesser known…

    Lou Faber

  • CHŌSHA’S RETURNING TO MOUNTAINS

    When you see a mountainwhy must you climb itwith your eyes.When you heara mighty river whymust you ford itwith your ears,when you feel the earthwhy must you touchit with your feet?Are younot the mountaindoes the river runthrough you, as yourun through it, areyou not the earth? A reflection on Case 16 of the Shobogenzo (Dogen’s…

    Lou Faber