Because there is
I picked up a little book of poems titled The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy. After months of looking at Instagram and Pinterest and reading very little, it was a joy to discover these poems.
Lighthouse
Its vision sweeps its one path
like an aged monk raking a garden,
his question long ago answered or moved on.
Far off, night-grazing horses,
breath scented with oatgrass and fennel,
step through it, disappear, step through it,
disappear.
– Jane Hirshfield
The distant mountains
are reflected in the eye
of the Dragonfly
– Kobayashi Issa
The ink dark moon
It’s true, the wind blows terribly here.
But moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.
– Izumi Shikibu (translated by Jane Hirshfield)
Sabi
Kirei sabi – refined beauty and lonliness
Kirei suki – taste for refined beauty
Sabi – lonliness, lonely beauty
Yugen – mystery and depth
On the day after an autumn rain
Today
Acorns falling
Frogs jumping
Leaves scattering
With you
On the day after an autumn rain everything moves one deeply. The fields are woven in a brocade of color. In the woods, under the oak trees, acorns fall in a torrent. Light evening rain; frogs cross a dirt road in the black night jumping everywhere.
We make up poetry.
Shadow and light
Last night we sat zazen during a wild thunderstorm. It was early evening and still light; the clouds came and went furiously illuminating the room with lightning and then darkening it. The wind blew the trees outside and rain pelted down on the roof. Inside all was quiet and serene. Dark and mysterious. We disappeared into the shadow and depth of twilight.
Evening twilight, my favorite time to sit zazen.
