Mandala
—Poems by James Lee Jobe, Davis, CA
—Photos Courtesy of James Lee Jobe
—Photos Courtesy of James Lee Jobe
The blue night above the cold water of the lake.
The white moon, alone against the black sky.
Not a star to be seen.
Quiet.
It could be that all of our souls together
Make up the body of one vast soul.
Such is the grace of night.
These things are the rags of The One,
Pitiful garments worn in the presence of humans.
Prayer is a blessing of solitude,
Conversation with The One.
Yes, our souls join together,
Here, now, everywhere.
We are one soul.
(for Jose Montoya)
Tibetan Prayer Flags
The hot, dry wind touches this earth, this creek,
And dances over these hills of fire.
Here are owls and bats.
Rattlesnakes.
Here are farms and vineyards.
Orchards.
This hot, dry wind touches all,
Kisses every heart, every life.
"Where are you going?"
The earth ask this of the wind.
"Nowhere. Everywhere.
Where you live, where you breathe."
Putah Creek. The Vaca Mountains.
Summer.
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The winter. Cool and wet.
The summer. Long, hot, and dry.
Valley of tall trees.
Valley of rich soil.
Even the owls in the pines
Know that this place
Is a corner of heaven.
Bonsai Tree (Juniper)
A few trees on a slight rise in this flat valley. From here they look like oaks. Nothing else around but tilled fields. Perhaps the earth just wanted those oaks to be right there.
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Silent in his sorrow, he seldom mentions
His dead younger brother,
The other son.
Nights go by like years
And vice-versa, and from the other room
I wonder how he remembers
The little boy who ran down the hall
Hoping his big brother would play with him.
Under his door I often see the light
Of his computer screen
In the very late and very early hours.
He is alone, and I am alone,
And somewhere else in this house
The mother is also alone.
Enso
Start with the number one.
You were fetched to this place to count the stars.
Here, the door is open. The stars belong to you.
On the wings of magic, you can test the waters.
Take the pebble; toss it into the still pond.
Here, we love with blessed kindness.
Come into this life, everyone is ready for you.
Start with the number one.
(for Khaleesi Luna, granddaughter)
Buddha
I am not anyone in particular.
Just a piece of the universe,
The same as anything else.
The same as everything else.
The same as you.
I am the black of the night sky. Yes.
And I am also the light from the distant stars.
Just a piece of the universe,
The same as anything else.
The same as everything else.
The same as you.
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Today’s LittleNip:
That all people have compassion in their lives, actively, both to receive and to share, this I pray.
—James Lee Jobe
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Our thanks to James Lee Jobe for his peaceful poems on this leap-year day, and for the photos he graciously sent with them.
For up-coming poetry events in our area, scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
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—Medusa
—Anonymous
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.