Saturday, July 9, 2011

laughing Buddhas


i.

  walk
through dimension
 a world
worn wisdom;  bone of my bones - word without word
passing off
illusion as
life

ii.

standing
on a continental divide
drawing in
east to west
a pendulum rests
stilling time to Tao

iii.

movement
fades between
the ribs
of my ancestors and the ghosts
of laughing
Buddhas

bkmackenzie
copyrighted 2011

Posted for One Shoot Sunday...Photo by Neil Alexander

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25 comments:

  1. dustusJuly 9, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    Packed with spiritual references and perfect thematically for an illusory reality. Also like the align right. Adds a unique dimension, and makes me ponder additional meanings to your lines. Awesome, bkm.

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  2. UnknownJuly 9, 2011 at 11:28 PM

    makes the reader think.... spiritual metaphors, wondering imagery.... great!

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  3. JinksyJuly 10, 2011 at 1:03 AM

    Buddhas might laugh, but typographers might howl...

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  4. BrendanJuly 10, 2011 at 2:51 AM

    This train of lucent stilled motion makes a perfect pass through your poem, the right-justified lines arresting our Western linearity, forcing us to read from the side of the brain where, as you put it, time stills to Tao. The stillness and flux of spiritual earthiness are woven wonderfully here. The typographical mandarins might thunder Bah, but I'll take the Buddha's rotunder Ha. - Brendan

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  5. UnknownJuly 10, 2011 at 3:33 AM

    laughing buddahs, loved your take on this great picture very thought provoking ...thank you

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  6. Brian MillerJuly 10, 2011 at 3:51 AM

    smiles...nice textures to this one bk...the first stanza grabbed me and the last made me smile...

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  7. ClaudiaJuly 10, 2011 at 6:15 AM

    you managed to capture the blurred mood of the picture really well with your words bk...the last line made me smile as well..

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  8. Jeffrey LewisJuly 10, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    I thought overall the poem had good flow. The first stanza especially seemed to roll off the tongue. The second stanza did a great job juxtaposing a sense of movement and the image of stopping and capturing it.

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  9. annell4July 10, 2011 at 6:29 AM

    Beautifully done!

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  10. Louise GallagherJuly 10, 2011 at 8:01 AM

    Like Dustus -- the right alignment adds depth and intrique to your beautiful poem.

    Beautiful!

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  11. dsJuly 10, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    "stilling time to Tao"--yes.Love the way the words push us East toward the ghosts of laughing Buddhas. First stanza could stand on its own (but it ties so neatly to the last). Beautiful!

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  12. Maude LynnJuly 10, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Gorgeous piece!

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  13. hedgewitchJuly 10, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    Excellent take on a very ambiguous and interesting picture--you give it spiritual depth.

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  14. Kerry O'ConnorJuly 10, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    I love the way you laid out this poem, very oriental. I found it read just as well from part 3 back to part 1.

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  15. AnonymousJuly 10, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    Gave me shudders - an engaging and ethereal engagement with a certainly interesting image. Feather-light caress of words in this, oriental certainly, but all around deep, flowing, with a great spiritual and smile-inducing end.

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  16. Chasing TaoJuly 10, 2011 at 3:10 PM

    "walk
    through dimension
    a world
    worn wisdom; bone of my bones - word without word
    passing off
    illusion as
    life..."

    So much beauty and wisdom contained within these your words, and especially these lines...thank you! Roger ☺

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  17. UnknownJuly 10, 2011 at 3:26 PM

    The third stanza was perfectly poetic, I just fell in love with
    "movement
    fades between
    the ribs"

    Another beauty ~ Rose

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  18. Alegria ImperialJuly 10, 2011 at 4:44 PM

    Terrific take on a prompt that is without 'stillness', and you 'stilled' it with deeply poetic lines, meditations actually, which you so perfectly write. Thanks for sharing it, Bkm

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  19. ReflectionsJuly 10, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    A wonderful take on the prompt... smiles.

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  20. steveroniJuly 11, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    One of the better "Sunday Shoots"..Stanza 2 became my favorite, because I have stood there also, and 'felt' that.

    You write well, bkm

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  21. EvelynJuly 11, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    last stanza is my favorite, very powerful.

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  22. gautami tripathyJuly 12, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    Loved the last stanza...


    walk the past

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  23. Sherry Blue SkyJuly 12, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    This is absolutely GLORIOUS, and my favorite poem of yours, ever. Wowzers, bkm........mystical and wonderful, and the image of the "ghosts of laughing Buddhas" is utterly sweet.

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  24. IsabelJuly 12, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    lovely

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  25. AnonymousJuly 16, 2011 at 2:06 AM

    LOVE your take on this. absolute perfection!

    "the ghosts
    of laughing
    Buddhas"

    thank you for the smile. ♥ dani

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