The poem I picked...

So this is the poem I asked to be included in our sangha poetry book. I wrote it after a powerful experience at Great Vow Zen Monastery on a Beginner's Mind retreat.

A Matter of Scale…

the snow was lovely
quiet treasure falling from dark, pregnant skies
in the early dawn
more silence than I deserve
I will strive not to squander this gift
this briefest of tastes
this cold, beautiful emptiness
as my wooden ears soften
to hear the almost imperceptible
yet completely distinctive sound
of
each
flake
crashing to its doom
up high in the trees
a chorus of innumerable, soft endings
a hushed requiem
a magical coda
to this symphony of silence
then a call
to once more
start again
from the top
this time
with feeling…