To Clear a Path to Nothingness
To Clear a Path to Nothingness
“We can go there any time. It’s not far away; it’s not hard to find. Just take the path to Nothing, and go Nowhere until you reach it.” Benjamin Hoff “The Tao of Pooh”
Nothingness.
There was old closet door by the wall
set with lean to avoid fatal fall
a collection of wood
where broken desk once stood
a cracked mirror standing five foot tall.
There is a feeling of nostalgia
old clothing from previous gala
this clutters unhealthy
this lie that we’re wealthy
a battle of stuff towards Valhalla.
There was a time when our life was free
with nothing we could stand and just be
our spirit was enough
to survive in the rough
take a seat by an old apple tree.
There was an old dresser full of dust
from when fashion was life’s only thrust
now filled with random tools
some textbooks from old schools
one day donate or send to Earth’s crust.
There is a true joy in “nothingness”
take a walk away from the business
this collection of mugs
who take up space like thugs
try to stop covering up sickness.
There is a corner with camping gear
portable stove we use once a year
with our portable chairs
we attend summer fairs
when our family needs to disappear.
There was a bin for the Holidays
our seasonal memories that stays
covered and safe from mice
holding onto last rites
like advertisements to classic plays.
There is a moment free of clutter
when our lives are free from the stutter
to give to those who need
who never feel the greed
of having too much bread to butter.
“The masters of life know the Way, for they listen to the voice within them, the voice of wisdom and simplicity, the voice that reasons beyond cleverness and knows beyond knowledge. That voice is not just the power and property of a few, but has been given to everyone.” Benjamin Hoff “The Tao of Pooh.”
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Jamie, you did well here. I love the image and the quotes from “The Tao of Pooh” but your poem where each stanza is really a limerick (or at least in that style.)
I love the Tao of Pooh and you incorporated it nicely in this piece, Jamie. Well done.
Oh the nostalgia this brings up – the old wood and collections of eclectic things from our past – funny how we see value in different ways at different times during our lives…
Thank John, Phyllis, and Ralph. Jamie