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Santa Cruz Wharf, September
The quieter you becomethe more you can hear.— Baba Ram Dass Orion lies over the wharfstaring at the moon, danglinglike an unyielding eye, barring sleepwhile below the waves washonto the shore, licking the pilingsand tasting the sand, a calming roarbroken only by the barkingof the harbor seals.It is not a night for huntingthe bear has…
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LOST LYRICS
It is strange knowing that your visionis not what it was, not what youwant it to be, not necessarily yoursin the long run, one eye alreadysemi-useless for reading and distance. You adapt, get bigger monitors, a tabletto read the news, a magnifierwhen you need to hold newsprint in hand,a large screen television (okay, youwanted that…
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COSMOS
As a child he decided,after watching Cosmos,that he wanted to be an astronomer. He was six, we boughta large telescope and I was assignedthe job of aiming itaccording to his directions. After a while he didhave a mment of panic, wonderingwhat he would doduring the day. That soon passedwhen he discovered the radio telescopeand time…
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MARS
Mars has risen in the western sky. Perhaps it is waiting for the moonto draw our attention,but the moon is periodicallyirascible, as tonight, and haschosen to abandon Marsto the stellar firmament. Mars has risen in the western sky. I wander into the dark in searchof the peace that onlynight affords, but the horizonis war and…
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DEAR ERASMUS, DIE
Today we welcome the rain, hopethat the wheaty winter lawn willshow some other color under its care. The birds ignore the clouds,accept the rain, care little howour lawn looks, their next mealof always greater importance. I am losing the vision in one eye,know I may soon be kingof the country of the blind,and sadly curse…
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WE COULD
We could, if you want,sit in the park on our foldingchairs or better a folded blanketand stare out over the pond,its silver surface shirredby a midday breeze. We could picnic, sandwichesof brie and apples, or for ushummous with tahini anda bottle of chardonnay, carefullypoured into plastic glassesimagining themseles crystal. The dragonflies would ignore us,busy doing…
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RINZAI’S REAL EYE 鐵笛倒吹 九十語
You say there area thousand waysof seeing this momentbut which is the real way?I respond there area thousand waysof seeing this momentbut which is the real way? You may take my place,you may lookthrough my eyes,but you will stillbe blindto this momentor that. A reflection on Case 95 of the Iron Flute Koans
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NEEDLE
She tells me I should rest,that I need convalescent time,but I want to tell her, “why,it isn’t like they stuck a needlein my eye, so why rest?” butit actually is just that, but the restof my body is none the worsefor the wear on my face,and it hurts less when Iam doing something otherthan thinking…
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JOSHU PLANS A VISIT 鐵笛倒吹 十九
If Joshu asks youwhich is the true eyewill you climb to the topof the mountainin search for it?There are a thousand mountainswhere Manjushri may dwellstaring out at the world—how will you know which one?A cloud mayreflect your sightsimplifying all. A reflection on case 19 of the Iron Flute Koans
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KEEPING FOCUS
It is of little surprise that we find this a dizzying world, for we always try to look forward, but since the future is often vague, we try and keep one eye on the past to understand what our other eye is poorly seeing. The mind does not care to be pulled in two directions…
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an old writer and his words 