“What we call ‘I’ is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale,” observes Suzuki in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Each piece in Hourglass describes how it feels to become that swinging door — or to wrestle with thoughts that would jam it. The poet engages in a long, entertaining and unwinnable battle with his own mind. As his understanding grows, consciousness becomes at once commonplace and full of wonder. Each poem is followed by a paragraph of the poet's musings on the creation of the poem and his state of mind.
Information
published by: Seagull Press, 1987
ISBN: 0-9617687-0-3
format: perfect bound, 5.25 x 8.25 inches
numbered pages: 53
Cover design by: Elania Nanopoulos
The Peacock
The peacock drags its tail behind,
and string-like feathers drape the ground
until a threat, or mating urge,
alerts the muscles in its spine.
Rustle! Sigh! Rows of turquoise eyes
arch up and out, their rims green‑brown,
and cores blue‑black. In one long surge
the tail bends straight, its colors shine.
Ninety allies stare from the fan
without a blink. What sense can tell
if they're for show, or if they're live!
The peacock struts. "See this? See that?"
An inner mind has touched each cell,
and each one blossoms with an eye.
