Tuesday, May 31, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (215) 


IF YOU COULD

If you could
tell a joke

in one sentence,
how would

that work,
the old monk

wondered.

~

THERE ARE SOME

There are some things
the old monk won't say,
but he doesn't know which.

~

THE SKY DOESN'T

The sky doesn't know
it's beautiful,

that's why it's blue,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, May 30, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (214) 


WHEN THE BOUNCING

When the bouncing
goes forward,
that's music,
the old monk said.

~

SOMETIMES YOU SPEAK

Sometimes you speak to the silence,
sometimes it speaks to you,
the old monk said.

~

IF ALL THIS

If all this
comes to an end

early, let's
stop for a beer,

the old monk told
the particle physicist

about his black hole
experiment.

~



Sunday, May 29, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (69) 

 
WHEN I DO MATH

When I do math in my head
I do it on the chalkboard there,
the old monk admitted.

~

OUT AT THE FARTHEST STARS

Out at the farthest stars,
there at the very edge,
they don't ponder the question
what is beyond us,
the old monk said.

~

YOU MAY SPEAK

You may speak
to the spirits above
and the spirits below,
but they might not
speak to you,
the old monk said.

~

SOMETIMES YOU MAKE THE JOURNEY

Sometimes you make the journey
and sometimes the wind takes you,
the old monk said.

~

NEBRASKA GOES

Nebraska goes
where the wind has been,
the old monk noticed.

~

GRAVITY IS

Gravity is
another
kind of time,
the old monk said.

~

YOU HONOR

You honor
all gods when
you honor
your God,
the old monk said.

~

IT IS MUSIC

It is music
which calls
the gods in
and poetry
which carries
our prayers,
the old monk said.

~

OTHER THAN

Other than
this moment,

nothing,
the old monk said.

~

ONE SILENCE

One silence
is this moment.
The other is
the great emptiness
beyond us,
the old monk said.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (213) 


IF YOU COULD

If you could catch it
it wouldn't be fast,
the old monk said
about his fastball.

~

HOW IT IS

How it is
when it comes apart
is how it is,

the old monk told
the mechanic.

~

I DON'T WANT

I don't want to
and I do it

anyway -- that's
why you practice,

the old monk said.

~



Saturday, May 28, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (212) 


THE DAYS FLY

The days fly,
nights come fast,
the old monk said,

explaining time
on the mountain.

~

ANY OF

Any of the mountain
is the mountain,
the old monk says.

~

ABOUT THE TIME

About the time
I think of coffee,
I get up,

the old monk said
about his habits.

~



Thursday, May 26, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (211) 


SOMETIMES THE WORLD

Sometimes the world
seems so thick

I have to stand still,
the old monk says.

~

ALL THESE VOICES

All these voices
in my head,

I thought I left them
on the mountain,

the old monk said.

~

SOMETIMES

Sometimes
just enough

is about right,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, May 23, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (210) 


KNOWING A WOMAN

Knowing a woman
is like being

a good piece of wood --
she puts you where

she wants you and
you stay,

the old monk said.

~

I HAVE STOOD

I have stood
in the dry grass

in the wind
at the end

of summer
waiting for

the horses
to return,

the old monk said.
I have seen

the stars
come home.

~

2 X 5

2 x 5 is
two elbows and a fist,

the old monk said.
2 x 10 you can imagine.

~



Sunday, May 22, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (68) 


THERE'S NOT MUCH MORE

There's not much more to say
when you've said too much,
the old monk told them.

~

CHARGE BY THE HOUR

Charge by the hour
if you're afraid to make
too much money,
the old monk advised.

~

THE OLD COW

The old cow
knows her stall.
What does
the old monk know?

~

WHEN A SURFACE

When a surface
has only one side
the stars can be
anywhere,
the old monk told
the astronomers.

~

IT SOUNDS LIKE WISDOM

It sounds like wisdom
until you think about it,
the master said
about the old monk.

~

LIGHTNING CARRIES

Lightning carries
the strictest message,
the old monk said.

~

IF THERE ARE STILL

If there are still
goats in the market
the day's not over,
the old monk said.

~

THE WORLD GOES

The world goes
where the world
doesn't want to,
the old monk said.
That's the way it is.

~

DON'T PUT YOUR HOPE

Don't put your hope
in a leaky barrel,
the old monk said.

~

A SLOW AFTERNOON

A slow afternoon,
the sky undressing.
Distance wasn't
the only thing
the old monk noticed.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (209) 


WRITE FASTER

Writer faster
when the going's slow,

the old monk told
the poet.

~

I SUPPOSE

I suppose,
the old monk said,

your good advice is
is good for anyone

except maybe a
Greenland Inuit.

~

NOT EVERY BEAT

Not every beat sounds the same,
even on a hollow log,
the old monk says.

~



Saturday, May 21, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (208) 


IF THEY'RE PARALLEL

If they're parallel,
that's good,

and if it's square,
even better,

the old monk said.

~

MUCH IS SUCH

Much is such a word
you wonder where

did it come from,
the old monk said.

~

MOVE IT UP

Move it up,
move it down,

no one cares,
the old monk said.

They're looking
at the stars.

~



Friday, May 20, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (207) 


SOMETIMES

Sometimes
in the evening

after the stars
have gotten

comfortable,
the trees might start

to talk to you,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU DON'T

If you don't know
if you wrote it,
you probably didn't,

the old monk told
the poet.

~

STOP AND THINK ABOUT

Stop and think about
there's so much to
stop and think about,
the old monk said.

~



Thursday, May 19, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (206) 


IF YOU HAVE TO

If you have to
draw a line under

your meaning, you're not
being funny,

the old monk told
the comedian.

I'd have to say that
a different way for

mathematicians,
he added.

~

ALL OF IT

All of it
is everything

even what's out
beyond the stars,

the old monk says.

~

SOME CONVERSATIONS

Some conversations
are like playing chess,

some are like sitting
in afternoon sun,

the old monk said.

~



Wednesday, May 18, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Be careful
which Jesus
you take as
your savior,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (205) 


DOWNSTREAM

Downstream
is either

wider or
deeper in

my experience,
the old monk says.

~

ONLY WHEN IT

Only when you want to
is like wind

moving in the grasses,
the old monk said.

~

LIKE THE SKY'S

Like the sky's
on fire every

sunset, then
the enforcer star

puts it out,
the old monk said.

That's what life on
the mountain is like.

~



Tuesday, May 17, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (204) 


IT'S ONE OF THOSE

It's one of those nights
where you feel good and

the wind will let you sleep,
the old monk promised.

~

IF THEY ASK

If they ask
when he started,

say he was
an old man,

the old monk said.
That looks more

impressive.

~

DID YOU

Did you do that
or did it come that way,

the old monk asked the poet
about his poem.

~



Monday, May 16, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (203) 


PUT YOUR HAND

Put your hand down
until it knows patience,

the old monk told
the eager student.

~

ALONENESS

Aloneness
is lonelier

when you're in love,
the old monk says.

~

ONE DOES

One does
what one must

do, or else,
the old monk said.

~

 

Sunday, May 15, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (67) 


HOW STRANGE

How strange is the world
when the crickets are silent,
the old monk noticed.

~

SHADOWS ARE

Shadows are
the spirit
you do not
wish to see,
the old monk said.

~

A FEW WORDS

A few words
next to each other --
it's like a fire
starting,
the old monk told
the poet.

~

I HAVE BEEN THERE

I have been there --
I have been all the way there
and back, the old monk
told his students.
They knew he was
talking about the top
of the mountain.

~

IT'S LIKE TRYING

It's like trying to think on Mars,
the old monk said about the coffee shop.

~

THE EVENING WILL SAY

The evening will say
what the evening always
says: Rest here awhile
in my arms,
the old monk told them.

~

IF YOU'RE LOOKING

If you're looking
for a gun barrel
poking out a window,
you're too late,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU PAY ENOUGH

If you pay enough
someone will get it done,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU NEED

If you need
more details,
I can make
something up,
the old monk said.

~

WHERE IS THE ELECTRICITY

Where is the electricity
when the light is off,
the old monk asked.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (202) 


SOMETIMES IT'S JUST

Sometimes it's just
something to hug,

the angel who
holds you,

the old monk says.

~

OF ALL THE THINGS

Of all the things
you can do

nothing helps the least,
the old monk says.

~

YOU LISTEN

You listen to the wind
maybe a hundred times

before you understand
what it's saying,

the old monk told them.

~



Thursday, May 12, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (201) 


THE MUZZLE VELOCITY

The muzzle velocity
of your smart mouth

is probably not
enough, the old monk

told his student. I give
these tests all the time.

~

IF YOU WAIT

If you wait
long enough

what goes around
will come this way,

the old monk says.

~

DON'T GET TOO

Don't get too
comfortable

on the mountain --
that's not what

it's there for,
the old monk told

his students.

~



Wednesday, May 11, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (200) 


YOU ALWAYS

You always feel it
where the bone broke,

the old monk said
about the weather.

~

SOMEONE WILL SAY

Someone will say
he said something sweet,
that old geezer,

the old monk told
the reporter.

~

LIKE THAT

Like that
it's like that,

it happens
so fast,

the old monk said.

~



Tuesday, May 10, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (199) 


IF THERE ARE

If there are enough
to do it,

there won't be enough
to undo it,

the old monk said.
That's how

the world works.

~

SOME SAY

Some say goodbye
to say goodbye.
Some say nothing,
the old monk noticed.

~

IF YOU WANT

If you want to keep working
the stars will wait for morning,
the old monk told his students.

~



Monday, May 09, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (198) 


ALL THAT MOTION

All that motion
generates something,
the old monk said,

an E-flat note
the universe hums.

~

WHAT'S AROUND

What's around the corner
is right in front of you

if you pay attention,
the old monk says.

~

IF I WROTE IT

If I wrote it,
I can read it,
the old monk said.

If I can't,
ask God.

~



Sunday, May 08, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (66) 


IF YOU DON'T KNOW

If you don't know
the answer,
explore the question,
the old monk told
the students just
before the test.

~

THIS IS WAY MORE

This is way more
about the body
than I want it to be,
the old monk said
when the master
told him to exercise.

~

EVEN ON TUESDAY

Even on Tuesday
the angels were still talking,
the old monk noticed.

~

YOU SAY ANYTHING

You say anything
because you think it's
better than nothing,
the old monk scolded
his students.
I have that problem,
too, he added.

~

THE GREAT HAWK WATCHES

The great hawk watches --
that I can promise,
the old monk told the students.
You can tell by the light.

~

THE HERMITS

The hermits
on the mountain
do for fun
what we do
for business,
the old monk said.

~

IT'S ALMOST AS IF

It's almost as if
the universe
doesn't matter --
only the emtpiness
between the stars,
the old monk said.

~

LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE

Love what you love
while you have it --
the mountain is not kind,
the old monk said.

~

IF YOU THINK

If you think
you can understand
what he's thinking
by what he says
you'll be sadly
mistaken,
the master said
about the old monk.

~

YOU WILL NOT KNOW

You will not know the way
when the journey takes you.
You only know the way
when you turn for home,
the old monk said.

~




THREE OLD MONK POEMS (197) 


ABOUT AN HOUR

About an hour
or two hours,

the old monk says --
the Zen will

occupy you
as long as it can.

~

THE UNIVERSE KNOWS

The universe knows
all of what we can

only see part of,
the old monk says.

~

IF THE SAINTS

If the saints won't sing for you,
maybe the angels will,

the old monk said,
but don't count on it.

~



Saturday, May 07, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (196) 


I LIKE WRITING

I like writing
a poem that does

what it does
without me,

the old monk said.

~

IT'S HARD

It's hard not to
believe what you believe,
the old monk said.

~

THE TIME OF DAY

The time of day
makes no difference,

the old monk said.
Happiness is

happiness.

~



Friday, May 06, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


Gravity applies
whether you believe the science
or not,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (195) 

 
WHAT YOU SEE

What you see
is what it is

whether you know
it or not,

the old monk said.

~

AS MANY AS

As many as you want,
a dollar each --
they're poems,
the old monk said at
his stall in the market.

~

THE EDGE

The edge of the universe
protects us

from what lies
farther on,

the old monk said.

~



Thursday, May 05, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (194) 


YOU WANT

You want
what you want

even before
you know

what you want,
the old monk said.

~

COMPOSE AS MANY

Compose as many poems
as you like -- make money
off the volume,
the old monk said.

~

SOMETIMES THE ZEN

Sometimes the Zen
flies off by itself,
the old monk said.

~



Wednesday, May 04, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


I told God
I'd stay out
of his church
if he'd stay out
of my bed,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (193) 


E = MC-SQUARED

E = mc-squared
means we offer ourselves

to God as fast as
God offers himself,

the old monk says.

~

BACK IN THE BEGINNING

Back inthe beginning
we ate what we bumped,
the old monk says.

~

SWING IT

Swing it
as fast as

you can and
let it fly --

that's what
hope is,

the old
monk said.

~



Tuesday, May 03, 2022

THREE OLD MONK POEMS (192) 


THEY'RE ALWAYS

They're always
harder to handle

when they know
what they want,

the old monk says.

~

A DOZEN OR

A dozen or
eleventy-some,

as we like to
approximate,

the old monk said.

~

IF YOU CAN FLY

If you can fly,
fly, but don't

go bragging,
the old monk said.

~



Monday, May 02, 2022

IN THE NEWS 


It's bad not to know,
it's worse not to care,
the old monk said.



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (191) 


WHAT IT WANTS

What it wants is
that you want it,

what you can't have,
the old monk says.

~

WHAT YOU WANT

What you want
is always right there
where you want it,
the old monk says.

~

SEE HOW CLOSE

See how close it
gets to silence,

the singing bowl,
the old monk says.

~



Sunday, May 01, 2022

TEN OLD MONK POEMS (65) 


SOME NIGHTS THE MOON

Some nights the moon sings
but you have to listen
with your good ear,
the old monk said.

~

NOT EVERYTHING

Not everything
that is missing
is lost,
the old monk said.

~

IT DOESN'T MATTER

It doesn't matter
what the card says
if you buy her
flowers,
the old monk noticed.

~

YOU NEED TO SEE

You need to see
the harbor
so you know it's
Boston,
the old monk agreed.

~

EVERY DAY

Every day
all these atoms
agree to be
me --
I'm honored,
the old monk said.

~

IF IT'S SADNESS

If it's sadness you want,
the old monk told them,
listen to the river.

~

THINK HOW SAD

Think how sad
the mountain is
with all the sorrow,
the old monk said.

~

A ROCK CANNOT

A rock cannot be
bigger than God,
though some of them
have tried,
the old monk said.

~

FALLING FROM GRACE

Falling from grace
is like falling,
with a similar
outcome,
the old monk said.

~

YOU CAN'T PLAY CARDS

You can't play cards with God
because he can see yours,
the old monk explained.

~



THREE OLD MONK POEMS (190) 


YOU JUST WANT

You just want
to let it.

If you can
do that, the rest

is easy,
the old monk said.

~

ABANDONMENT

Abandonment
is the unchosen

emptiness,
the old monk says.

~

WHERE YOU FIND IT

Where you find it
is always

where you stop looking,
the old monk says.

~



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