Poetry - Antonio Arana Soto
TO BE A MONK TODAY
FIREFLIES NECKLACE : TRIBUTE JIGSAW
Alone
but not lonely
trustful
- wave and ocean -
he heads for the unknown
- water -
that way where he doesn’t know,
- cloud -
That way where he doesn’t know,
with no other light or guide
than the ones burning in his heart
- nothing secret, nothing special -
His eyes haven’t changed
His gaze changed
- cloudy -
He knows he is on the way
Ingredient of life
- pungent, sweet, salty, astringen -
of our daily broth
and nothing to reach,
in the impossible avoidance,
he finds Buddha amidst the pots.
Monk today, here and now
lives life - sometimes hazy - immersed
immersed dyed hands - sometimes ocean -
in the daily blood
- deep sea : no merit -
that is where he finds himself
and in the dark night
dawn is not clear
in the middle of the night, the true light,
trustfully,
disciple, he follows the traces of the master,
the path of the fireflies in the night,
Lights up his delusions
and he discovers
that cold or crazy
obsessed by angels or demons
the weight of the world
is love
love that makes the sun goes round
and the other stars
and his penetrating howling
pierces him
and he rejoices
- his attention as sharp as the thinnest blade -
and serves him
- his heart sharpened as the most noble heart -
burning dance, the go and fro of life and breath
clear mind, open heart, skillful means,
makes him suffer
- his sword sharpened as the thinnest blade
not more
but more efficiently
and he goes
where no grass grows
- empty zafu, weight of a flame above -
and through his empty hands, full
worlds pass by
and the sands
and he plays the game of life :
one, two, three
and four, five, six
Embracing Ryokan.
Under this full autumn moon of September
What a fine thing to be shipwrecked in this sea
It’s fine to be wrecked
It’s fine
It’s
It’s nothing
Antonio Arana Soto