Leaves
—Photo by Katy Brown, Davis, CA
—Poems by James Lee Jobe, Davis, CA
Dawn, I've been waiting
for you for one thousand years—
Not a wink of sleep!
* * *
Late summer bike ride,
grasshopper lands on my neck—
Where to, little friend?
* * *
Blue water, cold and clean,
flowing past granite boulders—
My son's ashes, gone.
* * *
Zazen at midnight,
the quiet mind, still at last—
And then, a hoot owl.
—Anonymous Buddha
Out buying cookies
for a poetry reading—
Double the pleasure!
* * *
Dawn is beautiful
because nothing has gone wrong yet....
Wait, where's my coffee?
* * *
On my old cactus,
the flower blooms just one day.
Oh sweet, lovely life!
* * *
The bike is loaded,
library books, groceries—
Riding slow, cool breeze.
Cherub in Shadow
—Photo by Katy Brown
Is a god above?
Does it matter? Fresh blossoms
on my crape myrtle.
* * *
Fresh sunlight tickles
the east windows at daybreak—
Good morning, everyone!
* * *
The sun spends the whole day hard at work.
Only at night does she rest,
in that secret place we cannot see.
* * *
Sixty years of walking on eggshells; what good
could keeping secrets ever do for me now?
Old Growth
—Photo by Katy Brown
These days, no matter where I go
or whatever it is I happen to be doing,
I feel my son there. No, not his ghost,
it isn't like that at all, but something of him
goes with me, through my day.
Maybe it's his kindness that lives on,
or his love, whatever it is,
it brings me some peace.
* * *
A word after silence; let it be Peace.
Olive Branch
—Photo by Katy Brown
Time without form.
Form without the bare face of time.
What is the Buddha nature?
Everything. Nothing.
Stripping away the empty illusions
that I built around myself.
What is left?
I'll let you know if I ever get there.
* * *
Lovely and perfect, the perfume of your neck,
there in the hollow space, right beside my kiss.
* * *
Walking under the tall pine trees in the moonlight;
who needs those fools and all their politics?
Oak Galls
—Photo by Katy Brown
The dog looks up hopefully as I pass.
He can tell that I know something.
And I do.
He knows something, too.
He wags, I keep walking,
neither one of us is talking.
* * *
Brother,
hold me in your arms,
are we not the same?
Flesh and blood.
Muscle and bone.
Sister,
hold me in your arms,
are we not the same?
Human beings.
Human souls.
Love and flesh.
* * *
A wife and husband holding hands under bright moonlight.
Hard years, and some good ones.
Leaves 5
—Photo by Katy Brown
Today’s LittleNip:
An extra zazen session today,
this one—late in the evening.
And after? Spicy ginger tea
and a breath of fresh night air.
I am thankful for this life.
—James Lee Jobe
_____________________
Many thanks to James Lee Jobe for today’s fine short poems, and to his co-Davisite Katy Brown for her photos (and D.R. Wagner's too—see below)! James Lee is the host of two Davis monthly poetry events: The Other Voice Poetry Reading Series is always the third Friday of the month at 7:30pm; the December reading will feature D.R. Wagner and Joyce Odam. And The Other Voice Poetry Workshop is always the second Tuesday of the month, also at 7:30pm. They write new poems there, each month with a different theme or form or type of prompt. For December the workshop will on poems about the sacred feminine, or inner-feminine. Both events are at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Rd., Davis, in the library.
In Sacramento today, Writers on the Air meets this afternoon from 2-5pm at Galaxy Bean, 5825 Madison Av., presenting "Amp Your Voice" and hosted by Todd Boyd. And Poetic License meets today in Placerville at the Placerville Sr. Center lobby, 2-4pm. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
—Medusa
Buddha and Tara
—Photo by D.R. Wagner, Locke, CA
Celebrate the poetry of faith—and the faith
that is poetry!
Photos in this column can be enlarged by clicking on them once,
then click on the X in the top right corner to come back
to Medusa.