Joseph
Farley, US
Free
Verse
going
through the motions
life is
ritual,
sacred and profane,
moving the same object,
following the same path,
reciting the same words.
Master Kung told us
to respect these
day to day commitments,
these small obligations
that are the pillars
that hold up both
heaven and empire,
and the mystics and monks,
repeated the name of the creator
aloud or in silence
while engaged in every action.
if a part of you
is lost or trapped
by this slow repetition
that constitutes
most of life,
you are not alone.
we are all caught
as much as we are freed
by this turning wheel
of days and moments,
some of us just try
to mumble our way along
hoping that will
somehow
transform
this tedium
into a Te Deum.
Ignorance
ignorance is
bliss,
unknowing what you know,
remembering not to remember,
unacquiring what you learned,
unexperiencing experience,
relaxing and letting go.
silent you empty out the bag,
all the trash stuck inside,
becoming empty, empty
and yet so full.
that
place that is
I have seen
visions
of heaven and hell
that are one in the same.
all is a matter
of perspective
and opportunity,
the desire fulfilled,
the reality forced upon you
and that which you want
but cannot have.
all
gone
if you lose
you might as well
lose everything.
why remain
naked as a crab
clinging to a rock
against
the pounding waves?
go back to the beginning,
a zygote of mind,
and divide and grow
once more.
