Among the sky,
Among the earth,
Among the sand,
Among the dirt,
Among the sleet,
Among the snow—
Rests impermanence,
our only home.
Transient Impermanent
cherry blossoms burst
a breeze scatters petals down
denuded branches alight
echoes of bells shrill
in quiet quelled silent shrine
no one ever came
empty teacup warm
with steaming curls bated breath
never rose at all
an old pine tree that
has seen it all befall before
still waiting for snow
moonlit pond reflects
a timeline, now intransient
none ever looked up
old pond ripples fade
the leap of a frog long gone
caresses stillness
ink on paper dries
words melt and fade into dust
a breath once held truth
("Spinning Earth", 2016)
The Impermanent
What is impermanent, by definition,
Doesn’t last and can’t remain,
And what is not impermanent?
Yet each of us has a lingering thought
That something must be.
So we habitually project this intuition,
This inner knowing of the most holy,
Onto the everyday and profane.
We think maybe we are somehow permanent
Or maybe what we create, what we accomplish and achieve
Will somehow become so.
But obviously these are vain hopes
We all know deep down are not it.
Still we know that something must be
Beyond the bounds of change,
Something that is, now and always,
A constant source of solace and guidance
An IT that is somewhere within us and without us.
We know, but cannot say, what is true
Not because we don’t want to, or lack the words,
But because what we intuit
As the changeless has no name, no concept
Beyond mere labels which by definition miss the mark.
This is the original sin we all share, after all,
The lack of ability and facility
To grasp the ungraspable
And so we settle instead to grasp in vain
The impermanent.
(1/8/23)
No seed that’s on the earth ground
It’s tree now, offering the shadow
And life of sound
No green leaves there are
It’s yellow to withered
And blow away far
My forefathers, many of them
Now hanging on the photo frame
One day I’ll be the same
Dawn sun comes and goes daily
Dusk to a dark night in the same way
time never comes as rotatory
Scorching summer merges into a soaked monsoon
Rainy drops in the autumnal wind and wintry frost
No season is stable though spring in a lovely tone
Winter dew on the glossy green leaves
Shining rising sun evaporates minutely
Some are anytime rest in peace
Snowflakes cover the red rose petals
A floating wall of fog suits a ghostly vision
Out of time, all are in ancestor’s trails
Forever, the word is not forever
Like the time of summer to winter
And spring in the impermanent gyre
© Mahtab Bangalee
Chattogram
-January 25, 2023
The rain taps soft against the windowpane
I've always loved listening to the rain
The wind slowly carries my only deep peace
All of the struggles and miseries release
Nature soothes my confused young soul
This world of mine has taken its toll
All of life is only a temporary stay
The trees and plants will all rot away
We are all just guests in the green and blue
And this is why I still remember you…
You always loved listening to the rain
The rain taps soft against the windowpane
The wind slowly carries my broken pieces
And like everything else the peace ceases
All of life is only a temporary stay
The sun and stars will fade away
We are all just guests in the green and blue
And this is why I will always love you…
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