Sunday, May 16, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (15)
MONK ROBES
Monk robes mean nothing
to the children.
They laugh and throw stones.
The old monk keeps talking.
~
A CUP OF WINE
A cup of wine
is the only
happiness
the old monk has.
Soon he will
have another.
~
I LIVE
I live in
the Valley of Fools,
the old monk says,
and look pretty
normal.
~
GET LOST
Get lost
on the mountain,
the old monk says,
the mountain
will find you.
~
IF LOAFING
If loafing meant
baking bread,
the old monk said,
I would be
better fed.
~
I CARRY MY HOME
Sometimes
I carry my home
in the sack
on my back,
the old monk says.
It isn't much,
but it's the home
I've got.
~
YOU TALK
You talk to no one
on the mountain,
the old monk said.
The wind is enough.
~
I HAVE SAT STILL
I have sat still so long,
the old monk says, now
stone calls me brother.
~
HOW DO I SURVIVE
How do I survive,
the old monk said.
Sometimes it’s the stars,
sometimes the berries.
~
HOW MUCH
How much do I have left
is a question you never
want to be in the position
of having to ask,
the old monk said.
~
