"Disciple: Bashō's Persistence"

35.6822 N, 105.9086 W

Dust in the Wind Travelin' Zendo,

Cerro Gordo, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Teacher:

It is not an insistence.

Walkers of The Way

are not heavy-handed like that.

Student:

Given to holy observation,

where is the eye pulled?

Teacher:

To what empties out the self

and leaves treasures deposited there.

Student:

Given to holy idleness,

how does the heart become content?

Teacher:

Apprenticing to the Four Seasons.

Student:

Given to solitary wandering,

how does one learn authentic companionship?

A bird flutters in the silent darkness of branches.

The hazy moon appears to hold her breath.

The teacher answers:

What accompaniment!

Originally appeared in Stirrup of the Sun & Moon