Sunday, January 22, 2023
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (103)
YOU WANT THEM
You want them to go sideways and they don't --
that's how we end up in situations like this,
the old monk admitted.
~
DOING WHAT
Doing what you've
done you don't have
to go all the way back
to the beginning,
the old monk told
his oldest novice.
~
IT IS TIME
It is time which
measures the size
of the universe,
the old monk told
the scientists.
~
IN THE DESERT
In the desert
you may have to drink
the camel's blood,
the old monk told
his students.
It's like drinking
the ocean.
~
YOU DON'T
You don't haul salt
across the Sahara
because you want to,
the old monk said.
~
NOT ALL
Not all that is known
is knowable
unless you've read
all the poetry,
the old monk said.
~
DON'T HIDE
Don't hide where the microphone is,
the old monk said.
~
NO ONE WANTS
No one wants the coat
with the button off,
the old monk said,
but everybody
wants to be warm.
~
MONEY IS
Money is no good
on the mountain,
that's why,
the old monk said.
That, and I'm
allergic to it.
~
DUTY IS
Duty is as much as you have to,
the old monk said.
~
