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

[Onkai]

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

Gassho, Onkai

[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

[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

[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]

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

[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

[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]

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

[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]

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]

White snow in spring, daughter, then comes green twigs, leaves, pines, Beautiful smells of flowers, I see, sisters, brothers, friends all three finished PhD, Adam, Emily, Laurel, fine with positions. It's no race, yet our daughter has accepted Librtal Arts position, upper third year students, this must be regular; she's translating books Japanese to English, Japanese Poetry, all is as it should be. We are parents, New Home Douglas Firs, Pine Needles are Treeleaf Sized, Jukai, mother Well lived profession. Daughter found in mountain Town, Denver Colorado, her school, her nice new apartment, what could be better with wood trim, with her microwave oven, with her own office at home, at school where she wil finly be Professor of Japanese, her PhD in Japnese literature, comp lit paid off. Her MFA with honors, her doctoral Fulbright scholarship, Honored 250 page dssertation which may be published as book, her joy at given peaceful success, not to be hidden away. She makes her way, Dr Laurel Ann Taylor..

Gassho
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

Waterfall of Buddha

Water, stream where we,
Stop to shrink, eat, at
Twelve thousand feet,
Stream, Bear Mountains,
Covered lichen, moss
Fungi, resesed into cliff,
Where we never go, years
Sit Buddha lean, small,
Stone eyes placed
Yes, their loving kindness
Within cave below
Waterfall, we touch,
Touch scroll, as we
Wonder what real, reality
Is strong as tree, cut to heart,
Gone with Colidal Precepts,
Wonderment all, shall
We wonder spray into cave
Uppon Buddha of yellow,
Silver delight, you who
Coroded, disolve, leaving
Metal deposits of gold
Shall celebrate colided
Water befor nightfall.
Shikantaza is our stone.

Gassho
Tai Shi
sat/lah

[Tai Shi]

It has come to my attention.that Kokuu is now the administration of the entire Arts section and he should be contacted via PM if you have concerns contact him! Also he has informed me that we must limit our posts of poetry!

[Kokuu]

Tai Shi,

I think there must be some confusion. I am neither the administrator of the Arts section nor have I said that you need to limit your posts of poetry or that anyone else should.

In fact my message was "Post away".

I hope that clarifies for anyone.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Tai Shi]

Beldame, what glorious verses bring tear to eye, tone to old man's ears. You are bright with promises and kindnesses. Thank you for your sweet melodies. Please leave us with more of your brilliance.
Gassho
Tai Shi