Sunday, May 30, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (17)
ADVICE IS LIKE
Advice is like rice,
the old monk said.
You have to cook it.
~
EVEN AFTER THE BELL
Even after the bell
rings, if the teacher
is still talking,
the old monk said,
listen.
~
A NEW ROBE
A new robe
won't make
a better
man of me,
the old monk says,
but it might
keep me warmer.
~
YES, YES,
Yes, yes,
the old monk said,
you have good questions.
But you have yet to see
if they'll get you
on the mountain.
~
THE SOUND OF THE STARS
The sound of the stars
is what keeps me awake,
the old monk said.
They keep talking.
~
WELL, HERE IT COMES
Well, here it comes again,
the old monk said,
this emptiness,
and I didn't have to go
to New Mexico for it.
~
I'D TELL YOU
I'd tell you,
the old monk said,
but then it wouldn't
be a secret.
~
ONE HAND
One hand on the throttle
and one on the brake,
that's how you go
down the mountain,
the old monk said,
~
THIS IS HOW
This is how it works,
the old monk said,
pulling the hood
over his head.
Then he disappeared.
~
NOTICE
Notice how the rain
falls down,
the old monk said.
Think like that, like
the falling rain.
~
