these lines
acting as a poem

somewhat of a method actor
born of parents in the theater
thrown out into the gutter

maybe will grow up
and crawl back into the theater
to specialise in Shakespearean roles
a little of Chekov, some of Eugene O'Neill

under the birches one may sit
under the trees
perhaps on a rock, a stump
in the quiet
in the solitude
in this light
The Japanese umbrella by one’s side
One in one’s best clothes
here may one sit
in one’s time
as if all of life has been a journey
to this single point, to this one place
One on one’s own, having come into the world so
and all relationships and realities coming to this
in the midst of this, one may sit
with the light, and colors and with the earth
and the sky and the water
as if finding one’s place in this life, on this radiant earth
amidst the breathing trees and the creeping moss and lichen
one may come to one’s poise and silence
a moment beyond thought and emotion
one coming into one’s own
a transcending of pain and disquiet
a coming into peace, into stillness and seeing it all
all things, all movement, seeing all as it is

Diogenes is in his tub
in the street corner
and a servant of
The House of Vines
comes to him

'My Master,' says the servant
'bids you, Diogenes, dine with him
this Saturday night'

'I will not dine with him,'
says Diogenes
'Tell your Master so'

'And why is that?'
asks the servant
'My Master will want to know'

'Tell him,' says Diogenes
crawling back into his tub
*'The last time I dined with him
in his house
he did not express proper gratitude'

"Do you notice,"
says a passer-by
to the begging Diogenes,
"that people rather offer alms
to the lame, blind and maimed?
They do not offer alms
to a philosopher like you.
Why is it that you think?"

"That's because,"
says Diogenes
"people think one day
they too might become lame, blind or maimed -
but they never think they'd
ever turn to philosophy
So they ignore me..."

Diogenes has traded
philosophy for riches
and poor Diogenes must beg -
for neither does he want to belong
to any organisation

and so Diogenes begs

and this man in the street
says to the begging Diogenes:
"OK, I'll give you money
if you can persuade me"


"Persuade you?" says Diogenes
*"If I could persuade you
I'd persuade you to go
jump off the nearest cliff"

A man comes
from the next city
seeking Diogenes
'O Diogenes,
I have come in search
Of wisdom…
Can you write me a Book
and give that to me
so that I can cherish wisdom
all my life?'

'You fool!' says Diogenes
*'If you were hungry
you would not eat the painting
of a meal but the food itself -
and yet you seek the Book
but not the wisdom…
Discard the Book;
see the truth!'

'Say Diogenes,
how is a Wise One
to be known?
Can you tell me
how a Wise One
might look like?'*

Diogenes looks skyward,
strikes a pose
and strokes his beard