"3 Spring Zens"

(27)

“Dinosaur Zen” 

(Previously published as Television Zen July 10, 2015. Edited since.)

I was watching TV last night.

It was a movie about prehistoric times.

Although, it being prehistoric, 

How would they know?

A young woman with big breasts 

In a little costume 

Was fighting a dinosaur.

She had plenty of zen!

Her zen was in her bravery

As she fought the dinosaur.

And in her costume,

Which struggled to contain her.

Just in the nick of time a handsome muscleman 

In another tiny costume came along.

He quickly assessed the situation

And knew just what to do.

His zen was mighty!

His zen was the zen of valor!

He fought and slew the dinosaur.

Then he was kissed by the movie cavewoman 

With the big you-know-whats.

The camera made sure I saw

Them crushing against his manly chest,

Straining to break free from the tiny costume,

While the dinosaur 

In the background writhed and bled.

For him the straining was over.

Then as the music swelled 

Up came the words,

The End.

Hmmm.

I wonder where 

That dinosaur is now?

He had the most zen of all.

(30)

“Zen in Outer Space”

(Previously published Aug 28, 2015. Edited since.)

Is there zen in outer space?

Or is it just the sound 

Of no hands clapping?

It appears empty.

Yet it is fuller than we know.

It is even filled with things we cannot see,

But can only, 

For the time being,

Guess at.

Yes, outer space is 

Beautiful and mysterious.

Like zen is.

And patiently awaits 

Our further discovery.

Like zen does.

But, and here’s the difference,

Unlike outer space,

Zen is everywhere!

Yes! 

There is an endless supply of zen 

In the universe!

But only so much space.

(31)

“Zen in a Canna Leaf”

I saw some zen this morning, 

In sunlight 

Beaming through a canna leaf.

I try to be observant.

Especially in my garden,

Because you never know 

What you might see.

The sunlight is strong around here in the morning.

Strong enough 

To pass through a canna leaf anyway.

To pass through and nourish,

Leaving a trace 

Of beauty behind.

A miracle for my brain 

To ponder,

And my heart to delight in!

Thank you, creator!

For eyes and heart 

That see beauty 

All around me.

Beauty in the simplest things…

The normally unnoticed things…

The unchancy things…

Thank you for that beauty, too!

And for the understanding 

That flows from Zen.

More Monday Zen

“Zen Can Do Anything”

My zen and I 

Had a couple of drinks last night.

Oh? 

You didn’t think that zen could drink?

That it was against zen’s religion or something?

Ha Ha! 

Don’t make me laugh.

Zen can do anything!

Anyway, as I was saying,

We had a couple last night,

My zen and I.

Hmmm.

Now that I think about it,

Nothing was achieved.

I missed my dinner.

I spent my wages.

I stepped on the cat’s tail when I arrived home.

And now my head hurts.

“My Camera Helps Me Find My Zen”

My camera helps me find my zen.

I think it’s the way it makes me see the world.

To look upon things without distraction

And allow my eye to fall in love.

That’s the zen of it!

My camera helps me find beauty, too.

To see it right in front of my face

When it was there all the time.

That’s zen at work.

Beauty and zen share many traits.

You could probably name a dozen easily,

So I won’t bother, except to remind you…

That one cannot exist without the other.

“The Zen of Crows”

(Previously published July 20, 2015)

A murder of crows landed in the large oak tree 

That overhangs my home.

That’s what you call a gathering of these large, black birds.

A murder.

Who thought up that name, I wonder?

It is very zen!

Anyway, from beneath the tree 

I watched and listened,

While I drank some tea.

The crows were very noisy and active.

I might even call it confused or chaotic.

They seemed to be without zen.

I put down my tea,

And clapped my hands loudly 

As I rose from my seat.

“Where’s your zen?” I shouted.

The crows took flight

And circled overhead. 

Then as if by mutual consent 

They flew away to the north

Making a beautiful pattern 

Against the clear blue sky.

“Aha,” I said to myself.

“There’s the zen.”

“Keep Your Shiny Side Up!”

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

That is the name of a famous book

I once read a million years ago.

But I didn’t understand it too well.

Maybe it’s my fault 

That I didn’t understand it.

Maybe it’s the author’s.

Who can say?

Understanding doesn’t come easily

To anybody.

But I don’t blame my zen for that.

Who but an imbecile 

Would be stupid enough 

To find fault with their zen?

Not me.

I understand that much.

I like motorcycles.

I have since I was a boy.

I especially like riding them.

It is a very zen-like experience.

The freedom.

The speed.

The chance to empty my mind 

Of all but the road ahead.

The strangely relaxed tension

Of body, mind, and machine.

United as one,

Working in harmony 

To execute a perfect corner,

Or avoid being crushed 

By that eighteen-wheeler!

Yes! It’s quite a thrill

To ride a motorcycle!

And live to tell about it.

I guess, after reading that book, 

That I understand the zen of riding… 

Better than I do the zen of fixing.

But that’s okay.

So long as I don’t 

Confuse the two.

And remember to 

Keep my shiny side up.

Zen!

“The Odds of Zen”

“I don’t have time for zen today.”

Yeah. 

Right.

You may think that statement is true.

But it’s not.

There’s always time for zen.

It only takes a minute.

Sometimes even less.

But it can last you all day.

Maybe even a lifetime.

How do you like those odds?

And it’s free too.

I’m offering it to you now.

You simply have to reach out and take it.

I’m no mathematician 

Or economist.

But I know this much;

Zen offers a great return 

For your investment. 

“It Don’t Pay to Eat Too Much on an Empty Stomach”

“It Don’t Pay to Eat Too Much on an Empty Stomach”

It don’t pay to eat too much 

On an empty stomach.

No, nor to slumber too long 

When you’ve been without sleep.

And how about the one that advises

Not drinking too much 

When you’ve been without water for a while

And you’re really thirsty?

Old wives’ tales?

Or good advice?

Hmmm.

With zen,

Where with most things 

Moderation is the gentle goal,

Less is more.

So it’s probably good advice.

By the way.

If it don’t pay to eat too much 

On an empty stomach,

Does it pay to think too much

With an empty mind?

“Evil Zen?”

See no evil,

Hear no evil,

Speak no evil.

Wonderful idea!

But wait a minute…

If that’s how you are,

With no evil to speak, see, or hear,

(And let us not forget our other senses,

For the touching and smelling and tasting of evil),

Then you must be dead.

Because evil, 

Which in this imperfect world

We call suffering,

Is all around us all the time,

And cannot be avoided

At any cost.

From the tiniest ant to the mighty elephant,

And every other living thing as well,

(Including and especially humans),

We all must suffer.

Thank goodness for zen!

A way to find a way

To begin to understand 

The true state of things,

And with this understanding

Make adjustments

To your thinking

In order to live 

A happier life.

Another wonderful idea!

After all,

Doesn’t Happiness

Destroy Evil?

Or at least make it wish

That it hadn’t gotten

Out of bed that morning?

So don’t worry about evil.

Who cares what it smells like?

Or anything else about it!

Get over it.

You’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Learn to unattach yourself 

From the things around you,

And then when you’ve learned that,

Unattach yourself 

From yourself.

Remember there is an unlimited 

Amount of zen in the universe!

Enough for the Happiness

Of everybody!

Take all you need.