you asked me

you asked me
to write
you a poem
here it is
enjoy it
while it
lasts

atman is brahman

Breathe, in and out
Moving pictures
You and I
And them
And us
And the artist known as God

Atman
Is Brahman
No one, nothing else

It is a far poorer paradigm –
We feel we are separate

A newer idea –
We press into each other
Even at a distance
Feel the breeze
Connect us at a molecular level
Deeper
No deeper
We schism to rejoin
Again and again
It hurts
And then
Brilliance

fresh cut lotus

Fresh cut
Lotus, bamboo
In water
Peace
Over
Peace
Prayer banners
Discreet footfall
In snow
I am climbing
With these flowers and stems
In hand
To place
At your feet
At the top
At mountain’s peak
We still share
Silence
The true
Blood of Christ
Silence
The wingfall
Of a dove
At rest
In a maelstrom

hope undressed

we wander like ghosts
roaming fields
cerebral streets
neural pathways
school buildings

the clocks tick
we cannot concentrate
it is the ghosts that tick
we cannot comprehend
a word of this

and our minds
are as windows onto the rain
our thoughts
when least entertained
subside like
ripples on water
when the wind dies

we are multitudes
suppressed
but our hope
when undressed
is an education
with no words
a sacredness
with no religion

a dozen donuts (haiku)

it's funny how
we ask the donut guy
to choose for us

all points Now

pen and paper in the morning
pen and paper in the dull afternoon
turning tides
scritching out notes
in the after birth of early evening
blown by winds unseen
inside

gusts, any which
way
but where I'd like
or deem possible

won’t let me be
yet can’t persuade me
and by the same token
could never un-make me

and I have discovered
an idea leaking
from the roof of my mouth

I have traced it back
to my brain
cranial drip
eclipsing faulty reasoning

pen and paper in the brown shadow dusk
ironing out the lake of past
drowning the tidal wave of future
allowing the present to be lopsided

discreet ripples
lulling me to strip and dive into
the pool of Now

Siamese Twins

if you want Yin
feel free, take her
there she is --
your next Olympic bed-jumping partner
all you ever wanted

now, if you DON'T want Yang,
I'll tell you the secret
-- you're out of luck

here he comes
the next morning
with a shot-gun

he is attached to the mistress
they are like Siamese twins
attached at the hip
spinning in harmony
until a bozo like you comes along
and thinks you can enjoy one
without the other

and when Yang comes
you will swear off womanizing
for life

and this will last
until Yin seduces you again

I'm not saying you have to swear off romance
or pleasure, no
you'd just be inviting the same cycle
but in reverse

you don't have to forego Yin
just respect Her
while keeping your wits about you

then when Yang comes in the morning
He will come with a soft mat
for meditation or exercise;
He will come with coffee or chai

he will come as your servant
and your confidant

this is the Way
this is happiness
and true contentment