LOST PAGE FROM A BOOK OF HOURS
Give these devotions no
appointed hour.
Do them between,
unplanned
following the gilded
symbols that end each page.
After each bell’s resonance
dissolves
listen intently for a faint
melody
and then wait. Patiently
wait. You will know.
But don't expect sudden
transformation
that you can
measure, like
a birthday party
with dancing.
That comes much later,
for some.
"Ten thousand years under
the ice,"
moaned Zen Master
Hakuin,
Crouching all the while
a big cat hungry for
dinner.
But dancing, yes, yes!
No need to wait!
Clap your hands
dance any time.
You don't need a party or
a book of hours.
Do it between
appointed holy times
Like when you hear
wind in the pines,
or
rain on the roof.