Zen Poems & Gathas

These are original poems, gathas, and writings that pushed their way into my blog.  Please enjoy them but respect them as copyrighted material. Friendly bows, _/|\_ Mark

The River

A bamboo river flows through the Zendo,
The light of many moons reflects softly off its rippling planks...
Non-shadows highlight white foam and dark troughs
that wash my pain downstream
Gently mixing my suffering with countless others
Before dispersing in the infinite.

The Collector

Some people see life as a store, full of things they can buy and sell.
Some people see life as experiences, to be collected or avoided.
Some people work to bring awareness to the moment and live in the eternal now...like sugar crystals dissolving into warm water...no longer separate...more whole.
And the next moment...we're collecting.

The Week

Sunday evening, relaxing before a full week.
Concern about this appointment and that appointment.
Concern about fitting everything in.
The future screams loudly into the present.
It's hard not to listen.
It's hard to moment the moment...the relaxing Sunday evening.

The Experiences

Standing on the bathroom toilet experiencing scrubbing the ceiling.
Standing on the bathroom toilet experiencing patching the ceiling.
Standing on the bathroom toilet experiencing priming the ceiling.
Standing on the bathroom toilet experiencing painting the ceiling.
Standing on the bathroom toilet wiring in a new light.
Standing on the bathroom toilet labeling the thought "I'm sick of standing on the toilet".
Standing in the basement working on the hot water heater.
Standing in the basement working on the dryer vent.
On hold with Verizon replacing the phone the puppy ate.
At the store finding a valentine card for my sweetie.
And then there is sitting...

The Self

I want to be myself when I'm not pretending,
I want to let myself know that I'm good enough,
I want to understand in my bones that nothing needs to be added,
And I want to want it without the wanting.

The Puzzle

The puzzle of the present moment,
Infinitely beautiful, infinitely detailed;
And yet, my mind jumps to a different place,
Planning, anticipating, analyzing, fantasizing, fearing,
Leaving my shell-body holding the bag,
Waiting for my mind to end its separation.


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