short verse

short verse

I. Little Commentary

II. Chinese Proverb

III. zen center cochabamba

V. Pluto

VI. Natural Geographic

VII. The Perfect Fit

VIII. Who is God?

IX. Asparagus Aroma at Mom's Place

X. The Bus Ride to Ensenada

Little Commentary

Nicholas Copernicus, 1514; age: 41.
Copernicus empirically and mathematically proved these hypotheses during the rest of his Life, publishing his findings in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium in 1543, the year of his death.

There is no one centre in the universe.

The Earth's centre is not the centre of the universe.

The centre of the universe is near the sun.

The distance from the Earth to the sun is imperceptible compared with the distance to the stars.

The rotation of the Earth accounts for the apparent daily rotation of the stars.

The apparent annual cycle of movements of the sun is caused by the Earth revolving round it.

The apparent retrograde motion of the planets is caused by the motion of the Earth from which one observes.

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Chinese proverb

Before you begin to change the world,

walk three times through your own house.

The first walk-thru is Earthquake;

then comes the Copernican Revolution.

The third is called Acceptance.

LoVe, always.

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zen center cochabamba

seeking the center of enlightenment:

climbing high mountains in the hot sun

approaching death on christmas

paging thousands of books

meditating peace in midst of mayhem

terrible suffering solitude, fasting days on end

til discovering:

zen center cochabamba

was just a block away from home

but the published address

turned out nelly's corner store

and nelly says, no buddhists here

(old nelly thought i was taking her hair)

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A picture is worth a thousand words;

ten thousand photos but a smile.

A dream a million zillion laughs,

How many words is that?

More words than are the Universe,

so you must go beyond,

to the other side of Infinity.

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Pluto

No Latin name, no holy god;

another plane, distant to perceive;

yet its ellipse surely bears the same focus,

albeit slightly more eccentric.

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Natural Geographic

The Earth

is a beautiful stone,

with a precious gem or two

inside every Moon.

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The Perfect Fit

(Practical Use of the Rollei 35)

Two to six meters,

eye on the target,

no horizon.

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Who is God?

God is you,

polishing your virtues,

forgiving my defects.

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Asparagus Aroma at Mom's Place

She knows I don't like asparagus.

The last half hour's smell of asparagus

chaps my nose as it infiltrates my body.

Arriving, kisses, stories, photos, homemade pizza,

american breakfast, catch-up, chicken dinner

with wine (good wine, my wine from my cellar, my collection),

driving my car after so long, visits, trips to Florida,

more visits, an occasional check, calls from my father?

Now, get the latch on the broken suitcase fixed,

call the insurance company to get a reduced premium,

call the delinquent professor to undo my delinquency,

listen to lectures, reheat the chicken (be sure to add water,

for the sauce's sake), reheat the rice.

The asparagus reeked for an hour.

Do you like asparagus?

It's time to go.

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The bus ride to Ensanada

I hope Volcano Osorno erupts.

I want to see how it looks afterward,

to see the snow melt.

At 2660 meters, it’s too high.

And besides, I wonder if it would look

like Vocano Calbuco,

or whatever you call that volcano

that exploded years ago

that noone talks of today

that nobody visits

that never appears in postcards.

On the bus ride to Ensanada,

It’s packed with people:

villagers, and a couple of tourists.

A kid tells me my backpack is in his way.

I reposition my pack

I reposition myself

I crouch in the aisle to catch the view

I take a seat in the back as someone gets off.

As I gaze at Volcano Osorno, rapt,

Another person gets off.

I switch seats and open the window.

The scent of human flesh is replaced

by that of pines, flowers, and earth.

With my newfound inspiration, I begin to write:

I hope Volcano Osorno erupts.

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