Take the Ripe Plum

How far from nature and life it is the gray clouds, airplanes in them the night cooing and pigeons roosting Sirma's garden gone to roses and seed                         That airplane overhead!                         pointing the way                         pointing to war War being an aggravated condition of what we already know                         Flowering beneath the noise                         of yet another jet passing overhead.               *                  *                  * Why this much sadness in a world so beautiful? We are sad for the weariness of everything, including earth (that will go on tropically flowering long after we are gone) we             who are nothing             in powerful time's             grip history, passionate history, coffee between neighbors.               *                  *                  *             Enter into alliance             With the sweet darkness, night!             Night and day, day and night             Everybody knows when the moon is bright.             We dance by the light of the moon             All night.               *                  *                  * We dance by the light of the moon. We dance by the light of the moon and setting sun.                                           We drive                   we crow and call three pigeons!                   and make the world alive                                           even bricks.                                           Jets two pigeons!                   Milk-skinned doves                                           enmesh Two gray-skinned sharks, jets, embrace in the sky, a blue green oil truck takes the hill, cobblestoned, in low steady gear.               *                  *                  * Zazen position       to remain so             unmoved                   yet moved                         by the stillness the movement of the car uphill       part of your system of beliefs             unmoved by it, parked                   necking in the front seat                         hawks diving for pigeons' eggs and so you are compelled to move       by the force that created you. but             you impose your own small order                   departing from traditions                         human history understands              a mutant such as those currently developing the human mind beyond its past capacities.               *                  *                  *                   Two straw sandals                         blue jay call                               two sea gulls               *                  *                  * The jets return       flying low.             Laying low and breathing low       mists             of pure noise.