Sunday, October 31, 2021

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (39) 


I WOULD BE

I will be
your jester

if you think
you are a king,

the old monk said.

~

WHEN YOU REACH

When you reach
the end

of the universe,
you don't,

the old monk said.

~

THE EARTH HAS

The earth has more
surface than edge,

the old monk said,
fortunate for us.

~

JUST WHEN

Just when you think
it's heaven,

you taste the bad coffee,
the old monk said.

~

MEMORY

Memory --
it isn't

what it was
when it was,

the old monk said.

~

THE EDGE

The edge of the world
is in your fingertips,
the old monk said.

~

IT FOLLOWS

It follows
from the stars

we are
who we are,

the old monk said.
I mean --

literally --
the stars made us.

~

YOU DO IT

You do it
by doing it

again and
again,

the old monk said.

~

THE PAIN

The pain
comes to you

because it has
nowhere

else to go,
the old monk says.

~

THIS MOUNTAIN

This mountain or
any other --

holiness
doesn't care where,

the old monk said.

~



Saturday, October 30, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (48) 


WHATEVER YOU SAY

Whatever you say you want
I'll say you can't have it,
the old monk said.
That's how you get to heaven.

~

IF I SAY

If I say anything
I'll be repeating myself,
the old monk said.

~

YOU CAN'T LEARN

You can't learn to fly
without learning how to die,
the old monk said.

~



Friday, October 29, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (47) 


IF THEY SAY

If they say
that's what they

want, do they
do it? That

will tell you,
the old monk says.

~

IF YOU'RE READY

If you're ready,
the old monk said,
you can fly across
the universe.
You just need to know
where to turn.

~

YOU CAN DO IT

You can do it
all night,
the old monk says,

but you won't
get up
in the morning.

~



Thursday, October 28, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (46) 


YOU DON'T KNOW

You don't know
why it wants to,
the old monk said,
and still it does it.

~

NOT EVERYTHING

Not everything
is anything,
the old monk said.

~

Keep your shirt on,
the old monk said.
I don't need to see them.

~



Wednesday, October 27, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (45) 


IT MIGHT BE

It might be
what you want
but you did
make a face,
the old monk
said he noticed.

~

IF IT SEEMS

If it seems like an apartment building,
sometimes it's just your dream,
the old monk said.

~

IF IT DOESN'T

If it doesn't stop,
how are you going to stop it,
they asked him.
The old monk didn't know.

~



Tuesday, October 26, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (44) 


HOW MANY TIMES

How many times
can you go

up the mountain
before you can't

come back down.
The old monk

wouldn't tell.

~

THAT WALKING STICK

That walking stick
is kind of like mine,
the old monk said,
only not so wobbly.

~

A PROMISE

A promise
not to promise
is not a promise,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, October 25, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (43) 


DON'T WAIT

Don't wait so long
going home is
a burden,
the old monk said.

~

IF EVERYONE

If everyone
gets what they want,
what's left
is what I get,
the old monk said.

~

YOU CAN BE

You can be both and neither,
the old monk said,
just not at the same time.

~



Sunday, October 24, 2021

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (38) 


WRITE IT FAST

Write it fast,
the first draft,

and make up
the rest of it

later on,
the old monk told

the novelist.

~

SOFT AS

Soft as the fur
on a cat's ear,

the light this morning,
the old monk said.

~

EVERYTHING I PROMISE

Everything I promise
you already have,

they old monk told
his promising students.

~

SOME CAN READ

Some can read
the blue code

in the green trees,
the old monk said.

Some cannot.

~

SOMETIMES / THE ONE

Sometimes
the one thing

you say is
the only

thing you can,
the old monk said.

~

IF GOD WANTED

If God wanted you to nap,
why did he send us,

the Jehovah Witnesses asked
at the old monk's door.

~

SOMETIMES IT'S NOT

Sometimes it's not funny
and still you just have to laugh,
the old monk said.

~

WHAT DO YOU

What Do You Do
With a Drunken Sailor --

it's the only song they know
and they sing it all night,

the old monk said.

~

LISTEN TO

Listen to the voices --
one of them will be

a damsel in distress
waiting to be rescued,

the old monk says.

~

IF IT COULD

If it could
be one line

it would be,
the old monk said.

~



Saturday, October 23, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (42) 


OF COURSE

Of course, I'll
carry it down
the mountain

if you
carry it up,
the old monk said.

~

I'M HERE

I'm here
like I'm supposed to be,
so listen,
the old monk said.

~

DEATH

Death--
sometimes the darkness,
sometimes the silence,
the old monk said.
Sometimes neither.

~



Friday, October 22, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (41) 


I COULD

I could tell you,
the old monk said,
but you'd say
I was lying.

~

THE DIFFERENCE

The difference?
the old monk said.
Sometimes the difference
is the same.

~

THAT'S WHAT YOU DO

That's what you do,
the old monk said,
you kiss and make up
before it all goes to hell.

~



Thursday, October 21, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (40) 


IF SOMEONE

If someone wanted
to investigate,
the old monk said,
they might find,
indeed,
I sleep til noon.

~

HOW MANY

How many of them
do you think there are,

those angels who
bring you home,

the old monk asked.

~

NOTHING

Nothing
is just what
you want

when you're tired
of everything,
the old monk said.

~



Wednesday, October 20, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (39) 


WHY DO I LIVE

Why do I live
on the mountain
and eat roots
and mushrooms?

If I knew why,
the old monk said,
you wouldn't
have to ask.

~

I WENT

I went to the city for rice,
the old monk said.
I won't go again.

~

THE LONELY PATH

The lonely path
up the mountain

is not so lonely,
the old monk says.

Someone has tramped
this way before me.

~



Tuesday, October 19, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (38) 


PUT

Put.
What kind of word
is that,
the old monk wondered.
It sounds like the name
of an Anglo-Saxon king.

~

YOU DO THE DEAL

You do the deal
or the devil does you,
the old monk says.

Either way,
be careful.

~

STAND ON THE EDGE

Stand on the edge,
the old monk said.
See if the wind will
push your boundaries.

~



Monday, October 18, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (37) 


SUCH RHYTHM

Such rhythm,
such a show of light,

that moment when
it all goes

Go,
the old monk says.

~

SOME BERRIES

Some berries
and wind
and sunset,
the old monk says.
Supper.

~

THAT'S THE NICE THING

That's the nice thing
about springtime,
the old monk says.
Even the old ones
get frisky.

~



Sunday, October 17, 2021

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (37) 


HOW MANY TIMES

How many times
do I have to

do this to do this,
the old monk wondered.

~

THE WORLD FORGIVES

The world forgives
what it needs to

but keeps a record
in the rocks,

the old monk said.

~

HOW DO YOU

How do you find
what the rocks

are saying? You
pay attention,

the old monk says.

~

THE MOUNTAIN HAS

The mountain has
so much to teach

and you're not
paying attention,

the old monk warned.

~

LET THE STARS

Let the stars come out
and be surprised

how soon it's morning,
the old monk said.

~

YOU DON'T

You don't
memorize
the music --

the music
memorizes
you,

the old monk
told the band.

~

THE TREE DOES NOT

The tree does not
resist the wind

even as it
holds its breath,

the old monk said.

~

HOW GOOD IT IS

How good it is
is the first thing

you think about
the cold drink

of water,
the old monk said.

~

YOU CAN'T CARRY

You can't carry darkness
to the light. You have to

take the light to it,
the old monk says.

~

THE FIRST ONE

The first one
down the mountain

isn't always
the fastest,

the old monk says.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (36) 


TRANSLATE THIS

Translate this,
the old monk said,
turning sideways
like coyote.

~

IT IS

It is what it is,
the old monk says.
Let it be that.

~

CICADA

Cicada
is Zen
with a Z,
the old monk says.
What is
cricket?

~



Saturday, October 16, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (35) 


HOW FAR

How far can
the old monk
carry his
burden?

Until he
sets it down.

~

YOU MEAN

You mean like this,
the old monk said,
touching the ghost.

~

I DO EVERYTHING

I do everything,
the old monk said,
and sometimes
it's too late.

~



Friday, October 15, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (34) 


YOU'LL FIND

You'll find it's
not bone,
the old monk
told them,
but a floppy thing
to hold onto.

~

IF IT'S A SONG

If it's a song,
why does it sound
like you're weeping,
the old monk
asked her.

~

A NICK IS

 A nick is
close,
the old monk said,
and a little
closer.

~



Thursday, October 14, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (33) 


WHAT YOU DESIRE

What you desire,
the old monk says,
let it be like rain
that you ask for.

~

SOMETIMES QUIET

Sometimes quiet
is quiet,
the old monk says,
and sometimes
it's not quite.

~

WHO NEEDS YOU

Who needs you
can't always
ask twice,
the old monk says.

~



Wednesday, October 13, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (32) 


WHO'S SMARTER

Who's smarter
than I am,
the old monk said --

all the hermits
on the mountain.

~

THE MORE YOU HAVE

The more you have
the bigger the wagon
you have to pull,
the old monk says.

~

YES

Yes,
the old monk says,
someone says these things.
Not me.

~



Tuesday, October 12, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (31) 


IT WAS MALARKEY

It was malarkey,
the old monk said,
and who'd fall for
that line but
a poet?

~

IT'S THE ONLY

It's the only
loaf I have,
the old monk said.
I'll share half.

~

GO SO FAR

Go so far
the sun sets
where it comes up.
the old monk said.
See who wants to
come back.

~



Monday, October 11, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (30) 


GO AND SEE

Go and see for yourself,
the old monk says --
the mirror doesn't lie.

~

TREES HAVE PLENTY

Trees have plenty
to talk about at night,
the old monk says,
less so in winter.

~

HOW MANY

How many hundreds
of these angels
do we need to
send them,
the old monk asked.
So few come back.

~



Sunday, October 10, 2021

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (36) 


BETWEEN WHAT

Between what I think
now and what I will

think then there might be
some disagreement,

the old monk said.

~

EVEN WHEN

Even when you cross it out
that doesn't mean it's gone,
the old monk told the poet.

~

IF YOU CANNOT

If you cannot fly
you will not save the sick man,
the old monk told his students.

~

THE 4/4 MEASURE

The 4/4 measure
holds a whole note,

two half notes, four
quarter notes, or

all the little ones
you can fit in,

the old monk said.

~

YOU NEVER COULD

You never could see it coming,
even when it was

right down the middle --
that's why you're waiting tables,

the old monk told
the ex-minor league player

serving him dinner.

~

THE FEATHER

The feather always says,
Let the air lift me,
the old monk said.

~

OF ALL THE THINGS

Of all the things
I know, I know

nothing the most,
the old monk said.

~

I WANT A BALANCE

I want a balance
between body and mind --

what have you got,
the old monk asked

the nice person at
the dispensary.

~

YOU CAN READ IT

You can read it one way,
you can read it the other,

you can not read it,
or you can't read it,

those are your choices,
the old monk said

about his poem.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (29) 


I LIKE TO VISIT

I like to visit
in the evening,
the old monk said,
after the monsters
are put to bed.

~

FIND THE RIGHT

Find the right
rock to sit on,
the old monk says,
wisdom will
come to you.

~

SOMETIMES THE OLD ONES

Sometimes the old ones
are in the mountains,
the old monk says.
Sometimes the old ones
are only stone.

~



Saturday, October 09, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (28) 


IF ANYONE

If anyone
will do it
no one
will do it.
Ask someone
and they'll
just point,
the old monk says.

~

I HAVE / PRACTICED

I have
practiced
enough,
the old
monk said.
I can
do it.

~

EACH LETTER

Each letter
of the alphabet
is a character,
the old monk says.
You can tell a lot
of stories.

~




Friday, October 08, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (27) 


IF THE SPACE

If the space you have
isn't enough,
the old monk says,
find another
universe.

~

PULL IT

Pull it,
the old monk said.
Maybe it starts something.

~

OH, YOU KNOW

Oh, you know,
here and there,
the old monk said.
I just listen
and the stars
tell me.

~



Thursday, October 07, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (26) 


WISDOM IS LIKE

Wisdom is like
taking light

out of water,
the old monk says.

~

HOW YOU LIKE IT

How you like it
is only one way
to get it,
the old monk says.

~

I WOULD WRITE

I would write
white stone
if I meant
white stone,
the old monk said.
I meant
mountain.

~



Wednesday, October 06, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (25) 


IF YOU LISTEN

If you listen enough,
the old monk says,

you know there's
nothing to say.

~

IS THIS HOW

Is this how it is
when a star flames out,

the old monk wondered
listening to himself.

~

THE OLD MONK SAYS

The old monk says
the old monk doesn't know.

~



Tuesday, October 05, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (24) 


WHICH MOUNTAIN

Which mountain
is Witch Mountain,
the old monk asked.
No one knew.

~

THE WORD FOR

The word for
bright is

sun-moon
in some language,

the old monk says.

~

YOU DON'T HAVE TO

You don't have to
but you can,
the old monk said,
pointing them to
the mountain.

~



Monday, October 04, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (23) 


WHAT LANGUAGE

What language
would I speak,
the old monk asked,

if I could
speak what I know.

~

SOMEWHERE NEAR WINSLOW

Somewhere near Winslow
you can taste the wind,
the old monk remembered.

~

WRITE SOFT

Write soft,
it'll get harder,
the old monk
told his students.

~



Sunday, October 03, 2021

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (35) 


A THOUSAND MILLION

A thousand million
would be a good start,

the old monk said
about writing poems.

~

WHO'S GOING

Who's going to
speak of nothing

if I don't,
the old monk asked.

~

THE EXACT WORD

The exact word
is usually close,

the old monk
told the poet.

~

THE THINGS YOU DO

The things you do
you do because

you do -- it's
not any more

complicated
than that,

the old monk said.
The universe

has no choice
either.

~

LOOK AT THE STARS

Look at the stars --
it's not hard to see

why some may think
they interfere here

in our business,
the old monk says.

~

IF IT DIDN'T

If it didn't have to
be this way,

how would it be,
the old monk wondered.

~

SEE HOW HARD

See how hard you can make it
not saying anything,

the master told the old monk.
The old monk is trying.

~

SOMETIMES / I AM

Sometimes
I am so
far outside

my body
I am
outside

my body,
the old monk told
his master.

~

ON THE MOUNTAIN

On the mountain
something may

snatch you up
quickly -- be

prepared to fly,
the old monk said.

~

HOW LONG

How long does
the dove have

to mourn in
the morning

before you
get out of bed,

the master asked
the old monk.

~

MY WISDOM

My wisdom
is almost

like the wind,
the old monk said.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (22) 


THERE ARE OTHER

There are other
ways out of here

that aren't up
the mountain,

the old monk said,
but they're not many.

~

DON'T SAY IT

Don't say it
and say it
again,

the old monk said.
You'll learn.

~

IT'S YOUR BURDEN

It's your burden,
the old monk said.

You have to load
your own mule.

~



Saturday, October 02, 2021

IF HELL WON'T 


If hell won't have you
you can always go to Texas,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (21) 


THINK ABOUT

Thinking about
infinite

possibilities,
the old monk says,

the monkeys
who know

Shakespeare.

~

WHEN YOU TAKE

When you take away from,
what do you take it to,
the old monk asked
the math teacher.

~

IF YOU KNOW

If you know
where the wells
are, you own
the desert,
the old monk says.

~



Friday, October 01, 2021

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (20) 


YOU LOAD

You load both barrels,
the old monk says.
You just might use them.

~

RAISE YOUR HAND

Raise your hand
with questions
if you want to

go away confused,
the old monk said.

~

BUILDING BRIDGES

Building bridges
the brave man lays
the first span,
the old monk says.

~



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