spiral craft signal draft shallow rule dense send shell sham slapping laugh
Another Place
“Silence is sometimes the best answer.”
— Dalai Lama XIV
The smoke spirals slowly upwards
The air is dense with aromatics,
Drifting slowly in the breeze,
On the draft that flows gently,
Languidly, through the building,
Swirling ever so lazily.
◊
The outside boils.
A world of rules.
Must this.
Should that.
Buy. Buy. Buy.
Constant pressure.
Craft your life.
Chase your dreams.
Buy. Keep. Forget.
A shallow shell
Without meaning.
Or purpose.
Sham friends.
It has laughter,
But no joy.
It is all rush.
It slaps noisily
Against the temple
But cannot enter.
◊
Inside the stillness
The smoke spirals calmly,
Sending a message of both
Impermanence and continuity—
A signal that life can be embraced
Peacefully, serenely, in another place.
A temple bell rings.
◊
The outside boils.
ReplyDeleteA world of rules.
Must this.
Should that.
Buy. Buy. Buy.
Constant pressure.
Craft your life.
Chase your dreams.
Buy. Keep. Forget. This staccato has the reader feel the boiling world of rules. It's a marvellous stanza. The boiling world is brilliant. I also love the laughter without joy and the slapping up against the impervious temple. Very well crafted, Mr Newbery. The final line is our being called.