[ARTS]: Big and Little Poetry--free verse, any verse.

[Tai Shi]

We find here a fype, collection of Zendo poetry, finally used for purpose given like kittens in sun baskets, lively, cute, beautiful, rambunkcious and happy or sad, or what we call all types, thank you Zendo, this is the purpose of candels in darkness, of pets in need of our love, our feeding when mother leaves little ones, when fathers push lightly out the door, keep writing you all are sucessful Thank you. Thank you for writing. All of you.

Gassho
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

End of Perfection

One year before Covid 19
Struck our world, our Pride medical
My gait, though not perfect,
Made me whole so I walked
With ease, then I fell down
Basement stairs, seven stitches
In back of my head of left side,
ER doctor explained concusion
This was beginning of end,
Though operations had made
Me able to walk to Hartford
City Park, now with cane
Even with life of cameras could
I walk short distances, then

I fell down basement stairs
Again, crushed my left leg,
Calf of leg, CNP, and ER lost
Vision, vision of muscle, CNP,
DNP, ER doctor, all had missed
Missed my leg's dire wound,
But before all, Neuro surgeon
My dear friend, my wife, daughter
Doctor of Philosophy had saved
With Observations, Kyousui noted
Siezure could make stroke, tumor
Right Cerberal Lobe infested with
Two point two centimeter AVM, in brain
Arterial Vens Malformation,

Could explode. surgeon explained
If it were him, he would absolutly
Have tumor removed, would most
Certainly have deadly tumor, this
I decioded, Dr of neurosurgery woukd
Cut into scalp, into bone into brain
Cut, replace with medical foam
Cover with titanium plate, would
Prove I could no longer walk
With knee replacement to Hartford
City park then back in 2022 I fell

Down ten feet of basement stairs,
CNP said alright, ER said just blood
Blister, DCN said alright, CNP
Was primary, yet all near mised death
In depth but medical Vascular surgeon
Of Nephrology saved my life with
My leg, and now I have fallen head
First into hassick, then three ribs,
I was cared for by nurosugery,
Orthopedist, broken three ribs, sever,
Two never allow full expansion,
Of my side, of chest, of hurting
Forever, now walker, my wife would
Not lift out of trunk of car, of my gait,
She said I must use cane though
Pride, all doctors, all nurses had said
I must use walker or face death,
She said no, she said this is
Embarsing. Pride produced her fear
Of what I might look like, I agreed
Now, I faced the possibility of broken
Legs, so much death by hitting head
This time full more trhan concusion
Bcause of fear of what people
Might say, of this wounded leg
I might never walk again. I might
Dye because of insane fear of what
People mmight say, of difficulty
Now I must make sure I use walker
Everytime I must make, stand my
Ground, so much to body, close
To death. Pride how many times,,
Five, times to say I don't want
To die, so I must use walker,
I must stansd, I must say always
In home I must use cane, must
Not take chances, and I must

Not avoid walker even from store
Parking lot to motor vehicles.
Little carts, but safer than cane,
Safer than walker, getting into store
To motor cart, critical avoiding
Falls in store, put all pride aside,
My life, insisting not to show
One more accident with broken
Thumb, and an old wound to wrist
Cut when such life away, now
Theripist of my physical well being
Said such improvement I looked
Really good, wrist, , \gait much
Improved, I could walk better
Use my hand, my dexterity best

In more than fourty-five years,
Walking better, but must use
Mobilty assistance according
To my intelectual daughter, she
Translates, books from Japanes
To English, so she said to me,
"Dad, to free yourself, must use
Mobility assistance, so walker
First, always cane, even in house,
Always cane or second walker!"
Tai Shi, to be safe, "Dad, please
Listen to me," daughter, to nurse,
As to doctor, no more chances!
No more impairment, to be secure.

Gassho
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

What Smoking Can Do...

My brother smoked cigarettes until fifty-five
Years, did he never smoke marijuana, not,
MaryJane No he never did, I love him worry
He did not ever smoke illeagal stuff, he
Prided himself that he never did illeagle
Stuff, knowing the fried egg on the side-
Walk lingered in his mind, sat there as poison
Knew that alcohol could do, one's liver big
Destroyed, fatty liver, then more prone
To cancer he avoided strong drink, fire
Water, he heard the warnings, klnew
Thought cigaretts were allright, distilled
Blue smoke, white paper, wrapped around
Chemicals, disease, worry so distant
What could become of poor strong body?
He knew what could happen, fear cut
His treatment was most sevear, over under
His cheek, finely he opened like extra can
Of worms and I woried, after the fact, smoking
Since he was done for, without reccourse,
I worried what could I would dye, he traveloed
Three-hundred fifty miles to my front step,
We opened our door, our heavy front door,
Wondering and pleased, what was this unusual,
Visit, made for us, given like round present,
Wonderinf pleased, dear brother why have this
Visit come to us, my wife opened witrh questions,

"Doug, why have you come to visit us? Why?"
"Oh, dear Marjorie, I have special reasons,
You know I have smoked cigarettes all my
Life, all my life, all my life; oh, sister-in-law don't
You know, I have smoked since fifteen-years-
Old! I put my life at risk, surgeon's warnining,
Report with death coming to those who smoked
As little as one pack a day, twenty, sometime
Sometimes putting myself to dye, I smoked
Light cigarettes, then ultra light cigarttes, I
Smoked, smoked into one, or both--two lungs,
Never even thought of my mouth, there was
No danger! No sader in my mind until cheeks
Carcinogins `lingering in my mouth! Now I have
Mouthful of cancer, could eat my face off,
On television, pictures in one minute, in 30-
Seconds did nothing, thinking of nothing,
Nothing, empty warnings, could not happen,
Could never happen to to me, I didn't fear,
Only smoked only ten cigarettes daily,
From forth to ten cigarettes per day, per day
Per day, I was alright, alright, doing nothing
Wrong this is legal, legel, legal, I smoked within
Legal means, nothing could happen, notrhing could
Hapen to me, to me, then pain inside my jaw, my jaw
Inside my jaw, was I fine, went to doctor, oral surgeon
Advised, I sat in dental chair, chair, fashioned
To cut inside my mouth removing smoked out
Tissue, tumor in mouth, death, I struggle to stop.

Gassho
Tai Shi

[Tom A.]

I didn’t believe it
When we were told
That the teapot
Me and the mountain and Jupiter
are one and the same
flowing whole
Just my legs falling asleep.

And the daily hassles
That cannot
Be ignored
The other hassles are
the imaginary ones that
my brain
comes up
with
I wouldn’t trade it
for anything
It’s all precious
Not different
from the flowing
whole
That is me
You
The teapot
That is Jupiter and
the mountain and
is my cat.

Because of the risk of looking
too much like a
Charles Bukowski
copycat
(I’ll end this free verse nonsense)
Ill rhyme a line or two
Nothing too heavy
Nothing original
Not mine
Older than time
The answer to many Great Zen Riddles
A Great Zen Rhyme (if not the greatest)
One chanted daily
by little Zen monks-to be
Indoctrinated into the
Universe—little teapots
atoning
for eating
too many
cookies.


Here it is (sorry for running long):

I'm a little teapot,
Short and stout,
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout,
Tip me over and pour me out!


Gassho,
Tom

SatLah

[Tai Shi]

This Is Poetry of Pain

I wish for no bright sin under silver sky,
Defeted seeds come into soil!
Pain from Ankylosing Spondylitis
Disapearing; always wonder of pain,
Fever never renewed, every musical

Note striking more religous harmony,
More disdain, quietly like summer
Rain, I hurt more than retch, more
Than divided time into afternoon death
Sleeping, grinding at Buddha statue,

More cramps into deepest sea, than
Defeated songs never sung in taverns,
Without pain. Soon I am free again,
To see our child loveing our morning doves
More than any bird which translates words

Into my aching back, my Spondylitis
Sliding, hurting --child with doctorate!
Oh, I never earned her diploma, Yet
Earned my MA, EdS; I was never lazy.
I believed in poetry, earned my MFA

Like her translations. Today vine brought
Measure again--to love our verses,
Not translating fiction like our daughter--
Music, singing chapters like my couplets
Another hapiness in our noonday

Pain. Our beauty, brightest words
With delivered, devided blue, broken clouds
Under unrelenting lines. Our gratitude
Sung in notes, lightest sting her stroke,
Of our galaxy into pens, sand through,

Paper writing all day holding winter hands,
These strained notes of privacy, more tranquil
Written like stained glass of eagles flight,
Into noonday sun. Evening of sentient sight,
Mind of heaven braking into night.

Tai Shi
Gratitude.
07/16/2024

[Tai Shi]

I Think
Of my End

My days limited, they
Continue, not that days
Grow less, essence
Slips away, I grow heavy
With wonder of politics
Now, I do not visit politics
Leave it at my front door

Leave after thoughts, toss
In air of afterthoughts,
In air, like salad greens
We consume as so many
Plants of mortal stew, with
More adventure soft
The loud cacauphony
Who could know us?
As I grow older, I grow
Less, I grow more, I
Will slip away, like top
Of boulder rock
Such as for me an end.

Gasso
Tai Shi

[Tom A.]

My mind is good
at playing games
chasing my own tail
It took me a very long while
to realize
its not a concept
no matter how many
concepts
I throw at the wall
like shit
trying to make
them stick
trying to make
sense of it
trying to think
my way into
it

it’s not a
Self-help
scheme
not just another
philosophy

my mind still tries
to make it out to be those
things

(I’m sorry for running long)

I’ll sum it up:

when the sun shines
through those clouds
or they clear up

ah
It’s so good!
the open
flowing
wholeness and
completeness
of…

Gassho,
Tom

SatLah

[Tai Shi]

Joy Despite Tumors

Pure joy, I sit easily
When seven years ago
This Ubasoku stood
Before alter of piercing
Pain, today pain is invisable
Only as Pepper our cat
Leapt onto window sill,
I am living with less pain
Today; grab seven years
Ago, my lips pressed
Together tight, I do not
Wish, give me until eighty-
Five with my loved ones,
Wife accelerating like
My limits of our age
Loveng our time our
Wisdom together, watch-
Ing our Daughter, if Full
Professor giving forth
Her gifted pleasures
Every day, perhaps
With partner, she will be
Like her mother undread
Winner, esssence of family
Will family consists of one
Other, one brilliant child,

This her ideal will it be like
Sisterhood she longed
For when she was three,
Then four, wept in car
When daddy explained
Momma's pain at having
Children come forth
Between heart, legs, iron
Muscles This little
Girl had reasonable look
Elswhere for mate, more 1,000
Days of happiness, not just
Alone these two women
Provided for each other girl,s,
Loved each other, alone
Librarian trained in
London, the other
Trained in Japan, with
Washington PhD giving
Forth to two she came
To love as I came to love
In old age, forgiven, PhD,
As mate who lingered in
Caves of Hookaido, looking
For his daughter among sea
Shells, with each to other
Wondering where hills
Grew up in Vermont?

Tai Shi
Gassho

[Tai Shi]

June Rain

This is my Meditation Time

I cry, do they pierce my eye,

When I sigh, enough is enough

Wen trees sopped with rain

Bring time home, water soaked

Leaves dripping with tears then

Summer comes this week,

This is my linquid trip, around

My salt desire to mount Rush-

More. I wish I were older, yet

I may remain seventy-three

In September rain, dropping

From South Dakota skys, some

Cloud brings piercing wings

Od black birds, of my eyes.

Prairie salt livcks for my catle,

For my animal squire, for

My nothing extra. All disolved

In essence of my own sight.

My own realizations of night to day

Gassho

Tai Shi

[Onkai]

Thank you, Tai Shi. May you be healthy and at ease in all your ills.

Gassho, Onkai

[Tai Shi]

Results of our Metra

I hurt this morning to sit
Into destiny, old fire brought
Of inflation, given more to me
Of strength again, air of breath
This Blood of Buddhahood, slowly
Home again, bring to me freely
To that final resting place
Where I may receive my meaning
Of my Wisdom, Taste clear spring
Water. Drink of essence

Liquid of ablation. lessons
Of listening to Kyousui, you
You are this Buddha. graciously
Teaching me well, slowly, easily
Taught me to wait, to listen
To all this symphony of pain
Results in our brotherhood.
Results of our time together,
Results of our simple Metra
In wise loneliness of needing
Everything we learned, of love
More together pain within bones,
Pains of migration into oceans
More than minds into thoughts
Of Real equations of our lives
Skies of liquid air, of creations
Our songs of arrival to our destiny.

Gassho
sat/lah

[Onkai]

You're becoming prolific, Tai Shi. This last poem expresses joy, I believe, yet it is tender.

Gassho, Onkai
Sat lah

[Tai Shi]

Let Me in End of Spring

Yes, I celebrate end of spring
As I celebrate, day, night
Morning afternoon, her vision
In my eyes, as I weep for her,
For Her eyes, yet she sees me
White as clouds white as snow
In early spring first cold, then love
Her deeply, we would seem

As awkward as stone, elegant
As daylight, as withered early
As summer, we sit blithely Sunday
After Saturday into our eyes
He is eternal is he sixth precept,
Lacked of drunk, intoxicant we
Know window of delight we are
Each devouring each of us like
Stones thrown by young ones,

Like our eyes elegant as desire
Thinking in a mountain, Long's
Peak Eternal as intoxication
Nothing. freed from ice caped
Is it morning dew, daylight drying
Our only eyes elegant in your
Beauty as boat rowed simply
To shore needing no island, no
Dirt; we walk on land freely as
We are creatures as no island
Rising out of river like mountains
Like shortened trip we ice, making
Our way around fire for freedom's

Only love light in dew gone up
In vapor, yet freeing our breathe
Our respiration our lungs expunged,
Released like vapor of sun's light
Each kindness given freely like
Trees, like milkweed for monarch
Stripped with black, orange so bright,
Single with elegant velvet wing, singing
Oh brightness of radiant wisdom gone
I know in our harbor of landing for water.
Kyousui, Kokuu, Onkai, Meian, friends

Supreme Marjorie 68, she lives with me,
Grand but we are quick to know each
Other, end of spring is beginnings all
Summer, all morsels of food even
Even light rays evenly dispersed freely.
Freely, we give each other once again,
We are ending desire, now to hurt us so.
Our love light, fire shown brightly, alone
To be together ever after in delight, in light.

Gassho
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

Freedom in Love,
Essential Being

As I lay n agony
My darling wife did attend to me
Did sooth my body, touched
With hert hands, soothed
My aching pain with every
Love, I responded as man
Touched, as responding as
With Zazen and application
Of Shikantaza, as it is, as it was
As reality penetrating body,
Mind, soul, every part as
With reality, as with loving
Touch, as with Loving-Kindness
As with held touch, as medication
Of soothing essence, as with every
Desire, as with helpfulness, as with
What will give relief, as with our
Desire for many as 42 years
44 years together every
Commitment, I vow to you
Our daughter become PhD,
As with our entire family, as with
Your 12.8 at retirement as our
Love most pleasant, my pain
Dissipate, and our love penetrate,
So I say I love you with every pour
With every cell of my body,
We have learned withholding,
We played with consent, every
Essence, every sking time together,
May we ever request never to take
Without permission and violate
Essential needs, asking ever to make
Beautiful love again, I have stopped,
As I promised to keep you safe
Ease of giving for this man
I give you every essential
part of my body and gratitude
For relief and final solution,
Finding freedom from hurting
Body with giving power, medication
Shikantaza, zazen, gratitude, let
Us be together immortally, ever.

Gassho
Deep bows
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

I Go to see Doctor, Daughter
Became of Philosophy.

When I arose with pain, we said let us go
You and I, felt that pain in my large body
Grown tight as blue, as glue, as leather
Becomes rare, My newI wear to break them
In, as I would stallion's saddle, worn
To zero worth to grain of sand dunes
I tell her here is notify medication, of ponies
On this earth, not like other planets Mars
Victory, Asteroid,. moon, Earth slips' awaY, not
Planet pure from star not formed far away
94,295 million miles gone astray int gass
Giant someday 93 million astronomers now
Can tell us with accuracy How I said naked sun
How I Know we were always wrong now
We show with science on our side has gone,
Humankind was always wrong, Was always
Kind. Now written in books more distant, more
Than always More Than 93 million miles to shore
Than 94 million miles away, who knew, then more
Can count to one million, let alone, can see
Ninety-four million, do I remember all teaching
My grade school teacher, Mr V.W. van man
Richard Nash had classes each count high to 1000,
On paper writing each number pure childhood
Numbers in blue black ink with those, black shaped
Funny pens they made us all go dull to school
Window to buy from secretary in sixth grade
Why do I remember pure selling, counting to one-
Thousand even now when I turn pages of book
This year to aged more than seventy-three years
Old, then I thought that year even then as
Before I was promoted to smart Advanced
Track seventh grade, Miss Anderson, crone
Well into her sixty-fourth year, old woman
Would not retire, That mean old lady why
English teacher, how she cowered, craved
To know I was well beyond her years
When university education at University of Iowa
My advanced University, she failed promotion
Became no Engineer, but university grade
School teacher no Professor with her B.A. gone
At seventy-two I shall probably be far beyond
Live to seventy-three, beyond her years
Of death my father, Lenard spells his name
Funny, I always thought dad's father Elgwyn
Sixty-nine was too long to spell my middle
Name when I was in first grade, then when
How have have I gone before, beyond, until
Sixty-eight when mother died of her exotic
Breast cancer what would I die from, would be
From cancer I worried would I die soon or late
Of cancer when I saw aunt Alice in wheelchar
Die from exhotic form of cancer, Romantic
I was in Jr. High, then Mr Parker taught me,
Gave me in ninth grade, he could give an A
Have written to Grinnell College where
One letter of recommendation, Far away,
For me to study in finest School with scholarships
In Iowa, my advisor at my graduate University
Of Iowa, for my M.A. Ed.S. would say smarty pants
Yers that school was fine, hers was PhD, daughter
Professor Clark taught at Air Force Rocky Mountains
Academy in Colorado Springs, where I would
Go beyond cadets but thought in Jr. High seventh
Grade Colorado Springs seemed long into sky,
Exhotic for away I would read much Science, exhotic
Fiction began my work grinding six inch-Plexiglass
Reflecting telescope, I could better know how
Not to spell telescope so I in ninth grade, Jr High
Grade took from Mr Parker, from that A, Mr Parker
Knew General Science Class, then in twelfth
Grade Physics I earned another A again. would go
To Grinnell, Tim Dennis helped me study wave
Formulas, he had gone away to study nationally
To Grinnell College. I thought like professor he
Of Timothy he was oh so smart at eighteen, so I
Would someday study Bodhisatava, Great Zone
Of Being Came to realize how four million Buddhas
We all are just ninety-four million miles, two hundred,
Ninety-five and more miles away from The Sun,
Galactic volunteer atmosphere, expanse nothing
To Buddha, to Tathagata Buddha, To their Gods
Or to me, I am infinity,-two, a long, long, long
Away from Mr Peterson's Wave Theory Physics
Class, for I am Buddha with my Plexiglass mirror
Rather bought delight so this year ninety-three.
Ninety-four, perhaps me ever more than 94-
Million miles away from the sun. I would keep
Growing. Even more I grow to ninety-four beyond,
What I say is what I am isd what I am will be more.

Sat/lah
Written again thing
Of beauty, I give great
Bows, dignified, stately
As Emperor of Japan
Gassho Buddha nature
Tai Shi, peacefully
Ninety-three million
Miles away more, I see.
More Majesty, Beauty,
Buddha let be, peacefully.