Hallway to Nowhere

  • Karmic Dramas (Poem)

    We often wonder why in terms of personal experience.

    A futile question to ask, for the many causes cannot be determined.

    We have never been a blank slate, to arrive at this moment sui generis.

    We come with so many stories behind us that push us where we are today.

    We are the authors of them all and continue to narrate our ongoing tales.

    These, interwoven with the chronicles of others, shape the current scene.

    All we can do is attempt to ensure our ongoing accounts are the best we can tell.

    Let us choose words more carefully that spread kindness and compassion.

  • Attentional Closet (Poem)

    I open the closet to shine a flashlight on the interior.

    What do I see? It depends upon where I focus the light.

    I can see the clothes and other items,

    To be grateful for what I have.

    I can find dirt and dust,

    To be motivated to clean.

    I can see disorganization and poor design,

    To be inspired to reorder.

    I can find empty holes and disliked objects,

    To feel suffering and lack.

    Whatever I discover, whatever I feel, whatever I do…

    All depends upon where I focus the beam and how I choose to respond.

    The closet itself is simply a space with things.

  • Origination Tea Cup (Poem)

    steam rises from the tea. consider these things

    how did this cup come to be?

    a skilled artisan learned from skilled potters who learned from their teachers and so on

    a ceramic with multiple sources, and also the celadon glaze

    a kiln in which it was fired; wood that provided heat

    a building itself that housed this all

    thus it is with the tea

    tea farmers, masters all, helped by family and community and so on

    (Only a village produces fine tea.)

    trees dependent upon rain, earth, and light

    countless different elements interconnected

    change one, and the whole transforms

    each lift of the cup and sip of the tea,

    the entire world is joined

  • Chimerical Home (Poem)

    We all abide in temporary dwellings; none of our houses do we own.

    Whatever contract we established; whatever money we paid;

    Our residence remains ephemeral and always subject to sudden change.

    No matter what we devote to maintenance and decoration,

    We leave in the end for another transient domicile.

    Another moves in to change all our endeavors.

    Consider carefully where we place our time and effort.

    Wherever we go, we take only ourselves. Where then should be our attention?

  • Reality Tea Cup (Poem)

    Steam rises from the tea.

    Consider these things.

    When I lift the tea cup, I do so with wonder.

    I do not think, “oh, if only I had a different vessel!”

    When I sip the tea, I do so with appreciation.

    I do not think, “oh, if only this were a different drink!”

    This is the cup; this is the tea.

    Right here; right now; where I am in this moment.

    I drink with gratitude and enjoyment.

  • Death Is My Friend (Poem Regarding Yamantaka)

    Death sits with me, my faithful companion.

    We have known each other since my birth.

    Sometimes I have ignored their presence,

    To be startled once more when I noticed them again.

    I remember over and over

    That this is merely my familiar friend.

    Their fierce visage is meant not to frighten,

    Only drive away my aspects which prevent a meaningful happy life.

    When finally we walk away from this existence together,

    I will not be alone but with my dearest guide.

  • Losar Reflection (Poem For the New Year)

    Let me grateful.

    For when I awaken in the morning.

    If I do so with relative ease and comfort,

    This is a joy.

    If I do so with suffering and pain,

    This is also a joy.

    Whatever happens, I have enormous opportunity.

    Whether the day brings a chance to actively study and reflect;

    Whether the day brings time to pause and rest.

    Each provides an expedient time to practice.

    May I seize every occasion possible

    To act with kindness, compassion, and patience.

    Towards myself; towards other beings; towards the world.

  • Mise En Scene (Poem For Feb 27-PouncePunk22)

    Consider your landscape and your place therein:

    How do you move within this tableau?

    A masterful stride that crushes underfoot, unheeding and careless?

    A mindful walk that considers terrain, thoughtful and considerate?

    Are you owner of all or simply another piece of this whole?

    The answers we give delineate and determine our surroundings.

    Interior and exterior, these are intertwined and essentially the same.

    Trample unseeing the grass and insects; build without ceasing regardless of cost.

    This befouls your very air and your indifferent heart. Death comes in many forms.

    Remember other denizens have equal claim; think upon the welfare of earth, sea, and sky.

    Understand this enables all to breathe with comfort in concert.

    Easy? No. Your replies, my replies, our replies shape the common ground.

    Think. Be aware. Transform your mind.

  • For Ukraine (Poem For Feb 25-PouncePunk22)

    Let us gather chrysanthemums

    For mourning in these perilous times.

    Weave them into crowns of sorrow

    For grief at lives taken in brutal war.

    Scatter their petals on the wind

    For sympathy with those who remain.

    These are but the slightest gestures,

    Tiny funereal floral tributes.

    Do more where we can.

  • Kintsugi Dreams (Poem For Feb 24-PouncePunk22)

    I walk on debris,

    The detritus of expectations.

    I gather fragments to make kintsugi dreams,

    Toss them in the air, and watch them come crashing down.

    They add to the rubble underfoot.

    Thus it has always been. Thus it continues.

    I laugh with delight.