Lullaby for a fire

A fire had been burning
for a good part of the night,

and when the flames had calmed down
and only embers, cinders and ash remained,
those who were sitting around in silence
began to make some gentle music
while the glow of the embers echoed
an Italian hilltop town
slowly going to bed

♫ ♫ ♫

The summer beyond love

Beyond the ebb and flow of love
some beings sat quietly
in the peace and calm of the stillness

Summer came and went,
emotions seducing those who were willing
to give them some attention
while others simply observed
the flow of consciousness

♫ ♫ ♫

Would you like to come out and play?

As usual,
Takashi had been in his bungalow all day,
mostly in silence,
now and then practicing his đàn môi

♫ ♫ ♫

And in the late afternoon,
as if to ask,
Would you like to come out and play?
his neighbor came over and began
to play his đàn môi

♫ ♫ ♫

And after a little while Takashi came out
and onto the porch,
and then they made music
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

Would you like to come over and play?

Would you like to come over and play
your role as a human being
in Life on Earth
and,
perhaps,
give it up
for a while?

Calm and gentle people
are welcome to come and enjoy
the peace and joy of being still
in the company others

A few of those who had seen the invitation
were inspired to follow the directions
to a space in the jungle where
nothing was happening
other than the pouring and drinking of tea

Welcome
Have some tea
and enjoy a bit of silence

As thoughts and opinions
(lures and bait)
flow
around us,
let them go
away

And if you do grab hold
of one of them
and allow yourself to be taken on a ride,
remember that you can get off
at any time

We are not limited
to the roles we play
When the show is over,
we can step out of our roles,
take off our costumes
and go home

No need to act all of the time,
just now and then,
remembering always that we are not the roles,
that we are beyond the show,
that we are the stillness

And when the light began to fade
and the four o’clock flowers began to bloom,
those who had come began to walk
out of the jungle and to their bikes,
and then they pedaled home
through the stillness

November

November,
dark and cool,
the milk flower trees in bloom
later than usual,
their scent falling
on passersby below

Warmer clothing from the wardrobe
for the cooler scene

An evening fire
now and then,
calm and quiet

Some nights before going to bed someone would ring
one or more of the bells on her porch,
and then all of her neighbors would join in
one by one
and play their bells and gongs
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

And afterwards quiet would reign
until dawn

An offer of silence

A friend came over and smiled,
sat down at the table on the porch
and drank some tea

Both maintained elegant and comfortable silence
the entire time
because they never got around to talking
and instead enjoyed
the stillness

Some birds sang their songs
and some crickets sang theirs,
but no thoughts or words disturbed
the peace and calm
of the stillness

On other occasions they had spoken or made music,
but on this night it did not occur
to either of them
to say or do anything
other than drink tea and be,
and after a while the friend rose and nodded
and then walked home

A drama-free zone

A new character arrived on the scene
and immediately began to complain
about this and that

♫ ♫ ♫

Dude,
this a drama-free zone,
and we maintain a state of peace and calm
Problems are merely thoughts
so please stop talking,
give your mind a rest
and enjoy simply being
for a while

Right now,
at this moment
all is good
Birds are singing,
butterflies are dancing,
and a cloud is blocking the sun

Have some tea,
let go of your story
and be like one of those flowers over there
Just be

And so in the stillness
those who had gathered in the garden
simply were
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫