Waiting

Waiting 

Waiting 

In a waiting room 

     Waiting 

Two televisions on 

With commercials 

And 

Endless news 

Nice decor 

Waiting still 

     Waiting 

Earplugs in. 

To 

Help a bit 

(Can still hear) 

Commercials -

And endless 

News. 

About who shot 

Who -

Why must we fight 

So ? 

Why must I volunteer 

To help a friend ?

Endless drive 

     In heavy LA traffic 

And waiting 

Did I mention 

     Waiting 

Why am I 

always the

      "nice guy"

Do I need to learn 

To cease 

Being taken 

     Advantage of ?

And then - I - drive 

     Home 

Through endless, aggressive 

     LA traffic 

I should be thankful,

I know 

That this body 

Is not the one 

On the table 

Such is the fate -

Such is the way of -

Relationships between 

     Old people 

You drive me to mine 

I'll drive you to yours 

But mine was in town 

Yours is to heck and back 

Doctors appointments 

And procedures 

     Unmentionable 

Still 

Waiting

Perspective

There is 

     Sitting 

In the garden

There is 

     Listening -

- Time of 

     Year -

Sounds of birds -

     Sound of distant 

          Road -

It's a new year 

     Tonight !!

This year 

       I don't feel 

          So

     Depressed

          About

          It - ? - 

Partly,

          It's you -

     The Mad

          Professor,

     The Mad

          Scientist,

 - my dear -

Partly it's been

     Counseling -

And then 

     There was

          That

Last 

     Samadhi

Offering a new 

     Perspective -

On

     Ego

          Mind . . .

Organizing Heaven

New phone 

New buttons 

Remember old 

     Password

( yeah, right) 

Look up old password

Download new app. 

Whatever happened to 

     Paper and 

          Pencils 

With no buttons 

And no 

Passwords 

The world is getting 

Together 

As we all look at little screens 

And talk to each other 

Instantaneously 

Across oceans

     With the speed of 

     Light 

Maybe we can share 

     The light 

Those of us who believe 

That it is better to talk 

Than 

     To fight 

No one in my mother's 

     Generation 

Would have 

Believed 

     It true

She used to talk about how 

Airplanes and cars and telephones

And tv 

Had been invented in her lifetime

We may all count our blessings 

That she was never quite able 

To tell the world 

What to do. 

Because -

I am sure she 

Would have 

And even more surprising -

The fact that she felt 

She had a right to -

And knew 

Better than 

All the rest of us 

May she rest in peace 

For I know she has a big 

     Job to do 

-organizing heaven !

Conviction

Look back 

Look within 

All the silliness 

     Of this world 

Will keep on 

      Spinning 

I'm sure 

    Of that 

Of that 

     I am convinced 

Lunch

And the sky blew away 

That Day 

The deer walk quietly by 

The light rain falls 

And I 

Find 

I 

Exist 

Not at all 

Everything they ever said 

Everything I've ever read 

About 

The existence of 

Space and time 

Here and mine 

Seems to be so true 

There really is no u 

At a time like this

All that is, is this 

This moment in time 

This energy rise-

and blowing out 

The top of ones

Head 

Now what -

I wonder 

Will all this do -

To a life -

To a person -

What does one do 

With infinity 

And love -

Who is there left 

To do anything with it 

And yet 

We must 

Go on 

In joy we 

Go 

To lunch 

Cookies

I always say . . .

I will take these cookies 

And they will 

Last all week 

I will measure them out 

So many each day 

And have great willpower 

About it

I hesitate to mention 

how many times 

I have had this same plan . . .

I hesitate to admit 

That now, on the first day 

Of contemplation 

There are only 

     A few left 

And those will do 

For 

After dinner 

However I do not despair 

About this 

For in my great wisdom 

I know -

     That

I have 

     Lots more things 

Of so much greater importance 

     To despair 

Much more deeply 

     About 

Bored Already

At the retreat

The worldly mind wonders 

     Why I come here 

Mine and others too -

Well 

What do you do 

There ? 

Just to meditate and walk 

And watch 

Deer walk by 

And squirrels climb 

To the sky 

To hear the rain drops 

Fall

From the high trees 

As the squirrels 

Disturb 

The leaves 

And a family of deer walk by 

Mom and dad and two young 

Adolescents 

After a meditation 

Such things 

Seem to have

     deep meaning . . .

Back in town 

It is hard to 

Slow down 

Enough to hear 

The wind in the trees 

And 

The birds call 

The freeway roar 

Tends to wash away 

Whatever quiet 

The mind has 

     Aspired to 

But here

The loudest sound 

Is in my head 

Complaining of being bored 

Already