Sunday, December 11, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (97)
MEANING IS NOT
Meaning is not
the meaning of poetry,
the old monk said.
~
I'D LET YOU DOWN EASY
I'd let you down easy
but you've hardly
been up at all,
the old monk told
his eager student.
~
WHAT YOU NEED
What you need to do
is on the other
side of the window --
it's not in here,
the old monk told them.
~
YOU ROLL
You roll the dice.
God moves you
on the board.
That's how the game
is played,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN LAY DOWN
You can lay down
and wait for the stars
to speak, or you can
lay down and die --
your choice,
the old monk said.
~
I DON'T KNOW
I don't know
what it means
that the line
breaks here
instead of
here,
the old monk told
the poet.
~
SOME THINGS LAST
Some things last
past their
expiration dates.
Some of us
expire sooner,
the old monk said.
~
IF YOU CAN'T FIND IT
If you can't find it
in your notes, you can get
it will be on the test,
the old monk said.
~
HOW LATE
How late
in the night
does silence
wait,
the old monk asked.
The mountain
didn't answer.
~
EVEN NOTHING
Even nothing
can be enough
on the mountain,
the old monk said.
~
