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Poetry Month – Poem by Layman Pang Yun
The following two poems from the book The Recorded Sayings of Layman Pang, Weatherhill 1971, translated from the Chinese by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Yoshitaka Iriya, and Dana R. Fraser #1 I have a great robe Not of this world’s silk. It can’t be dyed by any color, Being crystalline, like white floss. No scissors were…
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Poetry Month – Poems By Zen Masters
The following translations are from the book Original Teachings of Chan Buddhism, by Chang Chun-Yuan, A Vintage Book, 1971. From Master Tsao-shan He who says that a dragon is singing in the dry woods Is he who truly sees Tao. The skull has no consciousness, But wisdom’s eye begins to shine in it. If joy…
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2013 Poetry Month #12 – John Haines
I had hoped to showcase poetry each day for National Poetry Month, but other obligations diverted my attention and time. For the last day of April, I have chosen poetry from John Haines – a writer whose work and style, along with his time living in Alaska, really influenced and changed my own style, and…
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2013 Poetry Month #10 – Cartoon Physics, Part 2
The poem “Cartoon Physics, Part 2” is written by Nick Flynn and published in his book Some Ether (2000, by Graywolf Press). Cartoon Physics, Part 2 Years ago, alone in her room, my mother cut a hole in the air & vanished into it. The report hung & deafened, followed closely by an over- whelming…
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2013 Poetry Month #9 – One Robe, One Bowl
Today’s poems are from the collection “One Robe, One Bowl – The Zen Poetry of Ryokan”, published in 1997 by Weatherhill. I have posted and written about Zen Master Ryokan, born around 1758 in Japan, a few times on this blog, and want to continue sharing his writing and wisdom. His work cuts through any…
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2013 Poetry Month #8 – Cartoon Physics, Part 1
The poem “Cartoon Physics, Part 1” is written by Nick Flynn and published in his book Some Ether (2000, by Graywolf Press). Cartoon Physics, Part 1 Children under, say, ten, shouldn’t know that the universe is ever-expanding, inexorably pushing into the vacuum, galaxies swallowed by galaxies, whole solar systems collapsing, all of it acted out…