zen

This arrived from the poet in my email today, with the note: "There is an old Zen question: 'When you must face a mighty foe after a treacherous journey of a thousand miles, what must you be sure of?' The answer is 'That it is their journey' I always liked the logic in that.'

zen

you do not comprehend the edge of the razor
like I do, having seen it as a weapon and tool
and a metaphor for
for so many things that it brings memory
folded in its handle. the flame candles
the egg already laid, as well as the seeds
that breed thoughts not yet recognized
as the prized fallout from heavens split
when lit by distant and persistent lights,
reflected and perfected by the journey
on the edge of a single razor.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.