We practice to have enough strength to confront problems effectively. To do this, we must be calm, fresh, and solid. That is why we need to practice the art of stopping. When we learn to stop, we become calmer, and our mind becomes clearer, like clear water after the particles of mud have settled.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh, Your True Home
It’s good to stop
Once a day
For 20 seconds
Before class
After class
Getting into the car
It’s good to stop
20 times a day
For 10 seconds
Noticing beauty
Appreciating
What’s right before me
It’s good to stop
Once a week
For a few hours
Nowhere to go
Nothing to text
Nothing to plan
It’s good to stop
Right now
As I write this line …
Magan said it
Lucy said it too
They’ve become pushers
New York can do that
Take midwestern politeness
And hit it with a 2 by 4
If you’re gonna survive
In that town
You gotta push and move on
She who hesitates
Will get run over
Just a word to the wise
Tell you what Magan
& Lucy & Katie
& Katie & Katie
Let’s be radicals–
Get to the root of things–
Counter-cultural “slow is beautiful” devotees
Amidst the throngs
Surrounded by swirling chaos
Automaton forms frowning
Let’s take one deep breath
Stop–alive–in our tracks
And be free
Let’s do it once a day
Do it thirty times a day
De-condition ourselves
Re-condition ourselves
Open our eyes
After we’ve opened our eyes
As we stand on the street
Or in the subway
Or on the edge of a park
Let’s see who’s before us
It could be (no, it is)
A secret Buddha
(In Hasidic Judaism
It’s said that the Messiah
Will appear as a beggar)
It could be someone brittle
About to break
It could be someone flamboyant
Our eyes will land on someone
And as we breathe
We realize she’s just like us
Truly
Totally
Just like us
Eyelashes, pants too long
Backpack of 40 pounds
Worn soles on shoes
Daydreaming about dinner
Fearing someone or some surprise
Back aches
Just like us
1 of 7 billion earthlings
In STL NYC
Just like us
Tired of the game of the grind
Of feeling like a machine inside skin
Just like us
Whether he’s 20
Or she’s 77
Their time is passing
They’re limited
Just like us they forget this finitude
When we stop
Miracles are possible
If we remember a line
From a philosopher who opined
“A miracle
Is a change in perception”
Stopping allows a fresh perception
Stopping opens up a miracle
Hey, that’s not too shabby
On an ordinary day
In NYC
Or Forest Park Southeast
— Writing Meditation Class
Spring Avenue
October 2013
