24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
At the base
sits a lion
on each side
in turn, they roar
to the monks and pilgrims
the keys for their journey:
Love
Compassion
Joy
Equanimity
step by step
on the earth
with heads held like
long-stemmed lotuses
colorful prayers on the wind
to become
in all parts
while climbing higher
to the Buddha’s holy mind
Halcyon
Hour when my heart elated
As we enter in the phase
Liked by every human race
Cooing with cymbals and keys
Yet not every one get blessed with it
Over the sequel of events that build
Never wanting to give up the tranquility donned.
I watched with rapt attention
and no little apprehension
as my newest Great Invention
(I should probably here mention
this was NEVER my intention)
threw the world into ascension
at the World Invention Convention.
This Accident of Being Lost (Leann Betasamosake Simpon)
these dark trees breathe for me
many times a day
when I cannot walk myself –
no longer able to take one more step
or falling
breathless
into holes in the path
edged with grasses too tall to warn me of the gap.
my best laid plans lead me,
inevitably
to places so distant from the destination Creator
Great Spirit
Gichi Manitou
wanted for me –
the walk back to the starting point is always so much farther than necessary
if I had listened to those trees in the first place.
All I want is to walk with grace,
shod with silk stockings made of prayers
so I bring medicines in my basket
when I miss another turn to find others lost like me.
it’s good to be here these days
in the company of Synchronicity’s children
where we are never lost by accident.
(c) r. l. elke
On the streets, a tension
Atrocities an every day occurence
Fights at family gatherings
Battle lines drawn
Opinions divided
Polarized and radicalized
Every action garners a reaction
And a reaction to the reactionaries
Perpetual pandemonium
While pundits preach lies about the other side
Blue vs Red
Rich vs Poor
Black vs White
Left vs Right
Right shuffled aside for the need to be right
But both sides are really wrong
Embroiled in conflict over trivialities
While elite contemplate humanity’s finality
Isn’t it possible to align but not agree?
To accept variety of opinion as a means of better seeing?
Better scheming ways to subvert the powers-that-be?
We dither over nonsense,
Obsess on the inconsequential,
Attack the unknown with preformulated views and arguments
As if we could ever decipher the immense spectrum of opinions
As if we really know anything at all
Anyone claiming absolute truth
Drives me up a fuckin wall
Let’s play a game
I explain to you
The word I mean
For you to guess
First explanation:
An American band
Playing songs like
“Can I dream?” Or
“Lunar Attack”
Then, the second:
A company,
Mainly in Germany,
Excels in
Technology
Creativity
Last, the third:
Used in astrology
Used to describe
Constellations
And conjunctions
What do I mean?
It came to me in a restless sleep. Not quite a dream but a knowing deep. That the life we shared was about to change. That the future we’d planned for would be rearranged. When I awoke the next day to the glaring sunrise, you were already gone, but I wasn’t surprised.
A daggers’ edge is as sharp as the frost biting wind even though forged from molten rock to steel.
These curves fit to block an opponents’ strike. One curving with the arm to shield another following up as the dagger’s shield.
Double to pair, the sai, is a weapon of damaging defense.
