Zen in the Moment

Living in the moment with mindfulness is a central theme of Zen Buddhism.  I wrote the poems below when I was particularly alive for a moment or two.

A Moment in My Garden

The Buddha and Jesus join me as I walk in my garden.
The birds are calling.
It has just rained but not enough to wet the benches I sit on
     as I move from place to place.
There is a soft breeze but not enough to chill.
The constant flow of water falling into the pond
     provides a background for my thoughts.
But I try not to think too much. 
I try to just be in the moment with the garden,
     and for the most part I succeed. 
I feel at peace.

Here in the Present

Oh how I love a misty garden walk in early fall,
Cool and wet after rain that still lingers,
The trees protect me like a garden wall
And joy of place warms my fingers.

I sit on a bench near my lotus gate,
And begin to focus on all that’s pleasant.
Rejoicing in each breath I take
That keeps me in the present.

When I look down just beyond my feet
I see moss on bricks and yellow leaves, 
And twigs and rocks that fully complete
A work of art I’m surprised to see. 

A small spring rushes forth to form a stream
That quickly falls into our pond,
With a gurgling that pervades the garden it seems
And even the woods beyond. 

I often think of other beautiful scenes,
Of places that I would love to see.
But by the end of each daydream 
It is here I want to be. 

Genesis

Today I saw the face of God
when she smiled at me.
In her sparkling brown eyes
and her perfect brown skin
I saw all of humanity.

The Little Child

The little child smiles and claps her hands as
     she takes her first tentative steps.
Her smile of joy and hope radiates until I am
     captured in her spell.
All my cares and worries fall away as I am
     bound to this present moment and
     once again become a child myself.
A child without fear,
A child awakened to new possibilities,
A child in God's Kingdom here and now
     on earth.
But this moment doesn't last, as it is replaced
     by the next moment,
And then the next.
I hope to find the little smiling child in
    each moment. 

A Man

I see a man who is weak, meek, overweight and disheveled.
I see him many times but he never says a word.
I imagine that he might be friendless and homeless.
I think that he is probably mentally deficient in some way.
One day I am with some friends when this man appears.
My friends exclaim, " Charlie! It's been so long since we've seen you."
Warm handshakes are exchanged.
One friend asks, "Are you still teaching?"
The man answers, "just one course."
Surprised, I ask what course he is teaching.
"Quantum Electrodynamics," he answers.
It now becomes clear who among us is mentally deficient.

A Winter Moment

Snow tops the branches of a nearby birch tree
     and a cold, pure breeze ruffles its parchment bark.
Broken clumps of pampas straw poke up through the snow
     near the frozen pond.
A pair of mourning doves rests puffed up on the branch
     of a snow encrusted spruce.
When the last cloud exits, it leaves the sun alone
     to scatter its blue rays throughout the sky.
I sit in the hot frothy water of my wooden tub, 
     and as steam erupts all around me, I am at peace.

Twist on the Golden Rule

My naughty dog, Bonnie, ran the length of the creek
And got muddy all over from her tail to her feet.
As I washed her off with a nearby hose,
I squirted some water right up my nose.

Choking, i went inside, and down I sat,
And strangely, put on my philosopher's hat.
There's a message in this event I thought
This humbling experience won't be for naught.

Here is the message, I said to myself.
"What you do to others, do unto yourself."
This doesn't make much sense, I suppose.
But neither does squirting yourself in the nose.

An UnZen Moment

It's a super day and everything's great.
I have a few minutes before I'll be late.
So I climb to the treehouse to enjoy the nice view
But I soon discover I've stepped in dog poo!

Yuuuuuuuuk!  It's all over the treehouse floor!
And with every step I'm laying down more.
No more is my treehouse a sacred place.
Where I do yoga and meditate.

My life is in shambles, complete disarray.
Wrong Thought, Wrong View, I don't know the way
To conquer this dirty and smelly distraction
Nor clean up this mess to my satisfaction.

Breathe in, breathe out, my subconscious blinks.
Remember you fool, you are what you think.
Stay in the moment, you know what to do.
Your mind is much stronger than a little dog's poo!

Breathe in, oh yuk, what a horrible smell.
My mindfulness practice has all gone to hell.
Then Zen leaves me with a mighty rush,
I know the solution...a hot soapy brush!