Month: July 2016

The Good

/ Korin Thomas / 5 Comments

Small birds converge on the fountain’s edge
as bees do, as does my gaze.

In the morning I filled the fountain
for my own pleasure – its gurgling
sound, reflection of sunlight in shimmer
of water over pouring.
The bees and the birds too
find their own pleasure there  –
I in them, we together
drinking of light, refreshment
cascading, dripping life.

I did not change the world
today, make my presence known;
did not seek the fullness of good,
find its summit or its source.

I filled the fountain to its brim
stepped back, sat down and,
since it was what I could do, watched
the everlasting procession-
birds and bees, creation ceaseless
pouring as water over the rim.

Portland, Oregon – July 26, 2016

The Big Trouble

/ Korin Thomas / Leave a comment

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In deep with time –
travelling companion on the way
parsing the curved paths
dividing the light of the sun
meting out portions of the moon:

“There you may go but
not there, never there.”

A ghost tramples before
and behind, catching
at my heels, breathing
down my skinny neck, creeping
cunning fellow taps
on my shoulder –
when I turn around
like the oldest joke he is
not there, never there.

July 21, 2016 – Portland, Oregon

The image came to me from a Facebook posting but I cannot find good attribution.  I cropped out attribution of the quote to Buddha because my online research did not show that he actually said/wrote this. Nevertheless, the quote – which can be found in many places in the webiverse – is evocative, if a bit “deepity.”

Finally, something obvious – too obvious for verse: Do I have time or does time have me?

Fire and Water

/ Korin Thomas / Leave a comment

La Wis Wis Camp - Rain

My evening fire burns
slowly in a drizzling calm
waiting for a breath –

A silent forest
green breeze; bending river rush
glacial fed chill wind.

Behind, ceaseless sound
river coursing down and down
flowing, no effort

Pouring over rock
carrying away mountain
no need for my hand.

Quickens now my fire
a warm blaze rising at last
crackling in twilight

Keep I it a while
for the night is passing fast
soon will embers be

A little longer
how much longer I don’t know
the rain quickening.

Late June, 2016 – La Wis Wis campground, south of Tahoma National Park.

Photo is my own, taken from La Wis Wis campground.  The river is the Ohanapecosh flowing from the glaciers of Tahoma.)

Moon of the Red Blooming Lilies

/ Korin Thomas / Leave a comment

Outside my window grows the summer
sweet garden – resplendent, redolent, still
in the morning dew damp chill.
She does not know about the hours, how
a clock tick captures in mechanical tock.

She knows the sun’s arc, pouring
rain, warm sweet laying ground
under silver white moon urge
tide surge and nights sweeping
over flowers unfolding in rose, lavender,
sweet pea, all the tall grasses –
unfettered by segmented time
broken moments of loss or dread.

I?  I know about time, succumb
as if it were my only
spun and twirling destiny.
What few seasons come and go
that we bloom –
flowers of creation’s fertile desires –
Unfolding under the moon
of the red blooming lilies
without time but this.

Portland, Oregon – July 9, 2016

My title, “Moon of the Red Blooming Lilies” comes from my recent reading of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, a classic telling of the tragic story of the destruction of the native peoples of this land, from the side of those who were destroyed.  The author, Dee Brown, does a masterful job of telling the story.  He often added the names of seasons as the native peoples called them.  In this case, the “moon of the red-blooming lilies” corresponds roughly to July.  It is a book I should have read long ago and recommend highly.