Wednesday, March 30, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Don't make rules for others,
make them for yourself.
We'll all be better off,
the old monk said.




THREE OLD MONK POEMS (170) 


HE'S A MONK

He's a monk,
not a monkey,

his students
said about

the old monk,
but sometimes

you wonder.

~

IT IS WHAT IT WILL BE

It is what it will be,
an old smooth handle,
the old monk said
about the piece of wood.

~

THEY CAN'T SAY

They can't say
they cant's say more
without saying more,
the old monk said.

~



Tuesday, March 29, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (169) 


AS MUCH AS

As much as
you want to
want, you want,
the old monk says.

~

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE

They are everywhere,
the world's sweetnesses,

and some of you
can taste them,

the old monk says.

~

YOU CAN KEEP

You can keep
making deals with me

or you can go
to the devil,

the old monk said.
Your choice.

~



Monday, March 28, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (169) 


THE UNIVERSE

The universe can only do
what it was put here to do.

If it had started different,
this would be different,

the old monk said.

~

GREEN IS

Green is to hope
as blue is to patience
and grey is to sorrow,
the old monk said.

~

BLOW IN

Blow in the out-port,
you'll get a snootful,
the old monk said.

~



Sunday, March 27, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (60) 


IF YOU CAN'T

If you can't
see the mountain,

you've gone too far,
the old monk says.

~

THE EDGE

The edge of
the universe is

always new,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU GO BACK

If you go back
to talk about it,

you've already
lost the argument,

the old monk says.

~

EVEN IF

Even if
it occurs

only once,

there'll still be
wisdom in it,

the old monk says.

~

IF I GO UP

If I go up
the mountain

with rice and beans
what do I come

back down for,
the old monk asked.

~

THE SOUND YOU HEAR

The sound you hear,
that note is E-flat,
the old monk says.

That's the key
the universe
sings in.

~

PHYSICS IS

Physics is the way
the universe thinks,

the old monk says.
Pull up a chair, listen.

~

IF YOU KEEP

If you keep
wanting it

to hurt,
it will hurt,

the old monk says.
Stop wanting it

to hurt.

~

FLY THROUGH

Fly through
Sunday
fast enough,

you make it
halfway to
Wednesday,

the old monk says.

~

DO IT DIFFERENT

Do it different
than you always do,
you will lose it,
the old monk says.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (169) 


IF I KNEW

If I knew,
I'd have to
tell you

and we're just
not ready,
the old monk said.

~

WANT IS

Want is
nothing
you want,
the old
monk said.

~

THE DESERT

The desert
would be red
except for
its grey sand,
the old monk says.

~



IN THE NEWS 


Help doesn't always come
in big packages,

the old monk said,
nor hope either.



Saturday, March 26, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (168) 

 
ENGLISH IS ALWAYS

English is always
speaking in foreign tongues,
the old monk told the poet.

~

GOD IS THERE

God is there,
underneath it all,
beneath the dark matter,
the old monk said.

~

LIFE IS NOT

Life is not a circle
but both ends of the string
and everything between,
the old monk said.

~



IN THE NEWS 


The devil
doesn't make deals
he loses,
the old monk said.



Friday, March 25, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (167) 


HOW FAR BACK

How far back can we remember,
the old monk asked.
We can remember coming out of the water.

~

THINK

Think
the things

that make you
think,

the old monk says.

~

LANGUAGE

Language
lays on top of itself
sometimes,

the old monk said,
and you just don't get it.

~



IN THE NEWS 


I don't want to
and you can't make me

is always the start
of something,

the old monk said.



Thursday, March 24, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (166) 


YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE

You don't appreciate
knowing how to fly
until you learn
to land,
the pilot told
the old monk.

~

HOW WILL I KNOW

How will I know
your business

if I don't stick
my face in yours

is what the cat
will ask

in the morning,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU DON'T KNOW

If you don't know
the language,
just hum along,
the old monk says.

~



Wednesday, March 23, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (165) 


EVERYONE WANTS

Everyone wants to do it
but no one wants to pay for it,
like going to church,
the old monk said.

~

HOPE

Hope
comes if different flavors,
the old monk said.

~

ALL THE STARS

All the stars
and maybe more
is what we need
to save us,
the old monk said.

~



Tuesday, March 22, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (164) 


THE SPACE

The space
the Big Bang

needed,
it made,

the old
monk said.

~

ABOUT THAT MUCH

About that much
is close enough,
the old monk said.

~

HALF IS

Half is what you'll get
unless there are
three of you,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, March 21, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (163) 


YOU CAN DO IT

You can do it
as much as you think
you can do it,
and maybe more,
the old monk said.

~

LEAVE YOUR MARK

Leave your mark
where it needs to be
and you'll be done,
the old monk says.

~

WORDS HAVE

Words have secrets
they keep from us,
the old monk
told the poet.

~



Sunday, March 20, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (59) 


GIVE WHAT YOU WANT

Give what you want,
the old monk said.
I mean it. To get
what you want,
give it.

~

THINK ABOUT

Think about
yourself
thinking about

thinking about
yourself,
the old monk said.

~

A MIRROR

A mirror
is not

what is
in it,

or is it,
the old

monk asked.

~

EVERYTHING

Everything
is only

this,

the old monk said.
Keep it close

until the angels
come.

~

THE OLD MONK'S

The old monk's
old master said:

You may not know
what to say --

the stars will tell you.

~

THE MOON IS

The moon is
not enough --

we need the stars
and what's

beyond them,
the old monk says.

~

IF I FIND

If I find
anything more,

the old monk said,
I'd have too much.

~

IT'S NOT GONE

It's not gone
the moment

you let it go
unless you

let it go
the moment

it's gone,
the old monk says.

~

SOMETIMES YOU ONLY

Sometimes you only have to
say a line and that's enough,
the old monk told the poet.

~

YOU WANT TO

You want to
be okay

being okay,
okay?

the old monk said.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (162) 


AT THE RATE

At the rate the universe
is flying apart, pretty soon

you won't see anything,
the old monk said.

Relatively speaking.

~

YOU NEVER KNOW

You never know
what kind of help
you get when you
try to go up
the mountain,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT

If you think about it
more than once,
you're still not sure,
the old monk says.

~



Saturday, March 19, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Do all the math
before you go to war,
the old monk advised.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (161) 


IT'S WORTH WAITING

It's worth
waiting if it's
worth
waiting for,
the old monk said.

~

HE REMEMBERS

He remembers
when today was
tomorrow,

the old monk said
about the hermit
on the mountain.

~

IT'S LIKE WHAT

It's like what
electricity does,

the old monk said
about wisdom.

~



Friday, March 18, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (160) 


THE LATER YOU START

The later you start
the faster you have to sleep,
the old monk said,
quoting his sister.

~

NOT ALL NIGHT

Not all night
but several times
is a good deal
if you can get it,
the old monk said.

~

THE DESERT'S BUSINESS

The desert's business
is turning sun
into sand,
the old monk said.

~



Thursday, March 17, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (159) 


THE SKY KNOWS

The sky knows
what the river wants,
the old monk says.

~

MORE THAN ONE

More than one
on the mountain

is two too many,
the old monk says.

~

THE DOORS I DON'T

The doors I don't
open, I don't
know how to,

the old monk said
about his choices.

~



Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (158) 


WHAT WE / DON'T

What we
don't know
we know,
we don't,
the old
monk says.

~

I'D SING

I'd sing it
in another key

if I could sing,
the old monk told

the choirmaster.

~

IT'S ALL

It's all everywhere,
this universal stuff,
the old monk said.

~



IN THE NEWS 


Wheat doesn't grow so well
in bloody soil,
the old monk noted.



Sunday, March 13, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (58) 


LOSE IT

Lose it,
the old monk said.

You won't find it
til it's lost.

~

YOU CAN'T CALL

You can't call for
silence

without breaking
silence,

the old monk said.

~

HOW MUCH

How much do you have
when there's nothing you need,
the old monk asked.

~

THE GAME

The game
you play
plays you,

the old
monk says.

~

THE SAME WIND

The same wind
that takes you out

works against you
coming home,

the old monk says.

~

TO THE VERY

To the very
edge of it

where it is no
longer it --

go that far,
no farther,

the old monk says.

~

YOU CAN DO IT

You can do it
or not do it,

the old monk said.
Just stop talking

about it.

~

IF THERE IS

If there is blood,
the mountain trembles,
the old monk said.

~

WHEN IT'S DONE

When it's done,
it's done,
the old monk said.

The tough think
is knowing
when that is.

~

THE KNIFE

The knife
the quiet one
carries

is always
the sharpest,
the old monk says.

~



Thursday, March 10, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


The one who
leans into

the fight
wins,

the old monk
noticed.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (157) 


THERE'S KNOWING

There's knowing the song
and knowing your instrument.

If you know your instrument,
you know the song,

the old monk said.

~

TOO MUCH AND

Too much and
not enough
if what you're
going to get,
depending on
whether you
want it or not,
the old monk says.

~

INFINITY

Infinity
goes all ways,
the old monk says.

~



Wednesday, March 09, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (156) 


SOMETIMES IT'S THE STARS

Sometimes it's the stars talking
and sometimes just noise,
the old monk said.

~

YOU KEEP DOING IT

You keep doing it
you'll make it a habit,
then where will you be,
the old monk asked
the student. Up
on the mountain.

~

IF YOU SAY

If you say
it not what

you want, why
do you keep

doing it?
Because you

do want it,
the old monk said.

~



Tuesday, March 08, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (155) 


WHAT'S MINE

What's mine is mine
and some of yours is too
will get you into trouble,
the old monk said.

~

YOU WEAR

You wear the face you get,
even if you get the wrong one,
the old monk said.

~

HALF A BIT

Half a bit
leftover
is about
what you want,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, March 07, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (154) 


YOU CAN'T

You can't
hold your tongue

and keep speaking,
which is why

you should sit
when you try it,

the old monk said.

~

IF YOU KNOW

If you know the job, do it,
the old monk said.
If you do the job, know it.

~

STILLNESS

Stillness.
The old monk
couldn't bring himself
to say it.

~



Sunday, March 06, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (57) 


THE HAWK ALWAYS

The hawk always wants
to spare enough mice,
the old monk says.

~

POUND, POUND

Pound, Pound
on the end always
ends it,

the old monk told
the
drummer.

~

THE STARS DON'T

The stars don't control
your destiny,
the old monk says.

They can't even
control their own.

~

SOMETIMES HE'S SO FAR

Sometimes he's so far from town
he can't see the lights,
they say about the old monk.

~

YOU'VE GIVEN UP

You've given up
before you give up,
the old monk says.

~

IT'S NOT AN ITCH

It's not an itch
if you can't scratch it,
the old monk says.

~

THERE THEY ARE

There they are,
the stars,

the old monk said,
listening.

~

HALF A MEASURE

Half a measure
is more exact,
the old monk says.

~

IF THE MULE

If the mule
ain't in the mood,

the old monk says,
you might as well wait.

~

ANY TWO THINGS

Any two things
are related,
the old monk says,
once you see both.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (153) 


SOMETIMES / YOU CAN

Sometimes
you can just

wrap it around
the end of

something else
and nobody

will notice,
the old monk said.

That's how
I do it.

~

IF YOU DON'T

If you don't
talk to the pines,
they won't talk to you,
the old monk said.

~

YOU WANT

You want everything
to be the way

you want it.
Let's see what

it looks like
when you don't,

the old monk said.

~



Saturday, March 05, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Russia in Ukraine
is like Covid-19,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (152) 


YOU DO NOT

You do not
dream in the mountains --
the mountains dream in you,
the old monk said.

~

MAKE THIS MARK

Make this mark,
make that mark,
you make it
go away,
the old monk
told the lawyer.

~

WHAT YOU WANT

What you want to hold
already has its hold on you,
the old monk says.

~



Friday, March 04, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (151) 


IF YOU HAVE TO

If you have to
decide to decide,
you're not ready,
the old monk said.

~

OH, THOSE

Oh, those,
the old monk said--

they lay there all day.
They're called cats.

~

THE MOUNTAIN

The mountain
is there. It's
always there,

even when
you're sleeping,
the old monk said.

~



Thursday, March 03, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (150) 


WHERE NOTHING

Where nothing goes
when it's gone
is anyone's guess,
the old monk says.

~

IF YOU

If you
think you're
thinking
too much,
you are,
the old
monk says.

~

WHEN THE GOOD

When the good thing stops
you say Thank God for
a hell of a run,
the old monk said.

~



Wednesday, March 02, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (149) 


DON'T THINK

Don't think,
just do,

that how we
train you,

the old monk
told his students.

~

YOU DON'T

You don't lie down to die,
you just lie down,
the old monk warned.

~

IF YOU DON'T

If you don't
believe it,
someone will,

the old monk
told them.

~



Tuesday, March 01, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Don't surrender
before you've won,
the old monk urged.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (148) 


FRICTION

Friction is the reason
things work,

the old monk told
the railroad worker.

~

BLISS

Bliss can't be
bottled, it can't
be bought,
the old monk says.

~

SOMETIMES IT'S TUESDAY

Sometimes it's Tuesday
before my weekend is over,
the old monk admitted.

~



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