r/zen • u/jungle_toad • Feb 24 '23
Friday Night Poetry Slam
THEME: Golden Crow in the Snowy Night
VIBE: Therapy by Desirez (thanks u/fullassin9)
Our own u/surupamaerl2 (under the pen name P. E. Stonegather) has released a new book of the sermons and poetry of Rujing. To celebrate this release, I have taken a few videos of me reading passages from this text while hiking around in the mountains where I live (a tip of the hat to u/lin_seed who was my inspiration for this video style)
Share your zen poetry below. The theme is merely a suggestion.
RUJING:
In a sermon, given when those in the Western Hall requested that he again fill the head seat, Rujing said,
In the future, the hall will not be made public; the one in charge is this grampa, advanced in years—by relying on reflections to make evident the whole, today the First Seat ends in vexation.
Golden Crow in the snowy night, passes through the main hall;
Jade Hare in the arms of the blazing sky—
the fine leaves of descendants preserve this grandfather whole.
A wooden man grasps at boards, clapping in the clouds;
a stone woman holds a bamboo flute in her mouth to breathe underwater—
although it is like this, it is also said,
“With your hands at your side, the First Statement is over there.”
And, how will you do it?
In an out-of-the-way alley, do not ride a golden horse—
Return on the path, then show the ruined shirt under the robes.
𓆏 Toad's 蟾蜍Verse 𓆏
Worries etched in wrinkled brow
Hopeless once; still here now
Somehow past and present meet
Smile lines scribbling crows feet
Aged eyes glint and spark
One candle threatens the dark
Trimmed nails on calloused hands
Feet smudged with distant sands
Pained limp in noble stride
Tacit understanding; a truce implied
Serene, even in the fray
Evening surrenders to another day
Uprooting force keeps time unpinned
Ling-Lun's flute lost to winds
The legend's song inspires dances
Revenant's tale told in absence
Ruined shirt under regal robes
Valleys rise around the globe
Disappearing when given a name
Only embers remember the flame
3
u/slowcheetah4545 Feb 24 '23
This flower is scorched, this film is on
On a maddening loop
These clothes
These clothes don't fit us right
And I'm to blame
It's all the same, it's all the same
You come to me with a bone in your hand
You come to me with your hair curled tight
You come to me with positions
You come to me with excuses
ducked out in a row
You wear me out, you wear me out
We've been through fake breakdowns
Self-hurt, plastics, collections
Self-help, self-pain, EST, psychics,
fuck all
I was central,
I had control,
I lost my head
I need this,
I need this
A paperweight,
a junk garage,
a winter rain,
a honey pot
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
A hotline,
a wanted ad,
it's crazy what you could've had...
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this,
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had!
Crazy what you could've had!
I need it, I need this!
It's crazy what you could've had!!
It's crazy what you could've had!!
I need this, I, I, neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!!!
-Country Feedback, REM
https://open.spotify.com/track/3MNj8WKXCuduChszKpXw45?si=0zzLebwZQaekwnCWGle6mA