an old writer and his words

  • I PLAY THE FOOL

    On more than one occasion she had characterized him as a loveable fool fit for a Shakespearean comedy. Of course when she said this he bristled. That was the required response to the characterization, else he willingly adopt the role in perpetuity. But deep within himself he knew there was more truth than perhaps even…

    Lou Faber

  • STANDING AROUND

    They said they would take a stand. They meant to take a stand but they never quite got around to taking a stand. That was the problem with taking a stand, you had to act, you had to stand. So much time passed they forgot they had said they would take a stand. Then they…

    Lou Faber

  • TWO INNER VOICES

    Sit still and be quiet,don’t rock the boatblend in, be wallpaper,avoid being noticedkeep your head downsay nothing, or less Let them know you are herestand outmake noise if neededtake a standsay what must be saidtake the lead that is what it comes down todo you want to beor do you want to truly live?

    Lou Faber

  • FAMILIES USE IT DAILY

    If I ask you awhere you are standingwhat will you answer?If I ask youwhere I am standingwhat will you answer?If I ask you aif we are standingin the same placeand you answer yesa blow from the stick,if you answer noa blow from the stick,if you answer nothinga blow from the stick. A reflection on Case…

    Lou Faber

  • ONE FLAVOR ZEN

    How far must you wanderto taste the pure essence,hear the pure note,see deeply into beauty,smell the first flower of spring,touch another heart.Will you grow tiredfrom standing stillin total silencecontemplating this? A reflection on Case 65 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (Trud Dharma Eye)

    Lou Faber

  • ABYSMAL

    At the edge of the abyss,teetering on the precipiceyou need not tell us notto jump, need not tell usthe horrid details thatwould befall us if we did,blood and gore ininfinitesimal detail. It is more than enoughthat you point out to usthe sheer height at whichwe stand, the craggedfloor of the canyonawaiting those whoimagine they can…

    Lou Faber

  • OR CUT BAIT

    They sit or stand patientlyon the jetty, a concrete pathjutting out into the ocean. The old timers have twolines out, bait bucketsitting in the bicycle-wheeledcart parked on the edgeof the jetty’s bouldered margin. You don’t ask what they’vecaught, that would be obvious,and you know they are here forthe act of fishing, and the catchis that…

    Lou Faber

  • REINCARNATION

    In my next lifeI want to come backas a Great Blue Heron. I will majesticallystand by a lake, capturingfish, capturing the eyeof all who wander by,pausing in awe and desire. And I will havethe one thing I knowI now lack, that traitthat has escaped mefor far too many years,patience, the abilityto stand and stareuntil the…

    Lou Faber

  • THE OFFICE

    Step into a hotel elevatorand you will see the sign“Elevator certificate is locatedIn the General Manager’s Office.” If Einstein were to come backto life and see this, would heinquire as to where he could findthe Special Manager’s Office? And George S. Patton wouldno doubt bellow out a demandthat the Corporal Managerstand front and center. But…

    Lou Faber

  • TOSU’S HARMONIZING TEN BODIES 正法眼蔵 三十語

    Standing in the ordinarystare out acrossthe great gulf searchingfor that which is sacred.It seems to dancejust beyond the edge of vision.Close your eyes and liftyour right foot,place it down.How does it feelto stand amidall that is sacred. A reflection on Case 39 of the Shobogenzo (Dogen’s True Dharma Eye)

    Lou Faber