The gold fish named Tony (a poem)

Happily and freely
Does the fantail goldfish
Named Tony
Swims
With out a care in the world

Tony thinks
The world is a peaceful place
Yet he does not know
Much of what goes on
Beyond the fish Bowl

But it is better
Then hearing and seeing
The bad things
That happens outside of the
Fish Bowl

So freely and happily
Tony swims
Ignorance is bliss
When you’re a fantail goldfish
In your little slice
Of paradise

I’m a buddhist woman living with mental illness.

It does not make me weak.

It does not make me any less of a of a Buddhist

Buddhists live with mental illness too.
It’s ok not to be ok.

As the prayer flags sway and wave in the breeze
The poppies blossom
With their forbidden fruit.
The doctors say that that
Forbidden fruit is the oldest pain relief
I say love, kindness and compassion are the oldest forms of pain relief.
The flower is only a beautiful and
Yet obnoxious ****.
Which offers no enlightenment but misery and suffering.

I am always looking
Looking for that permanent high
Trying to end my anger
I will keep looking
Chasing enlightenment
Chasing enlightenment
For the rest of my life
I will be looking
I will be chasing enlightenment
Until I die
Just keeping hope
And thanking my mom
Thanking both my parents
But I will be searching
Like a detective
Hoping to find the
Meaning of life.

One day when I was walking
When I saw some prayer flags
Prayer flags swaying
Swaying in the wind
Just swaying
Bring people luck
Making them the luckiest of the lucky
I ask what a simple life
A simple job
A simple bunch of flags
Then I become jealous
Jealous of their simplicity
Wishing
Just wishing
Just wish for their lifestyle
Prayer flags
Simple life, simple job:
Simple flags.

Morning greets me with surprise
A silent knowing of gratitude
That now is all we ever have
Delivered as patient birth

The first snow
is falling in Borimsa,
a quiet temple
at the foot of Gaji Mountain,
as we stand near the two stone pagodas
that silently standing side by side.
"Oh, the first snow!
And I'm here with you...," you said.  
I smile.
Because I remember all you've said about the Korean saying...

The first snow
is falling in Borimsa,
as the true love starts blooming
in two hearts.  

Inside the temple,
the Buddha's statue
is waiting for two hearts
to pray in quiet words,
and send the love song
through the gentle wind
to the eternity.

-Kanya Puspokusumo-
http://doeniadevi.wordpress.com

1. Borimsa, one of the oldest Korean temples on Gaji mountain in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea (about 300 km from Seoul). The temple holds great significance as the first Zen buddhist temple during unified silla, built in the 9th century.

2. In Korea, there is a saying that if you are out in the first falling snow of the year with someone you like, then true love will blossom between you.