[Note: I wrote this poem, if one could call it a poem, in 2013 during retreat. Shibata Sensei, paid our group a visit. He was in his 90s. 20th in the line of bow makers to the Emperor of Japan. He spoke to us, and I was touched by the strength, warmth and light that shone forth from him. He told us then that “deep in your heart, you have the quality of never giving up…”]
Withering petals
on a dying lotus
its roots now in the sky
frail the hands that once were strong
frail the skin that once was supple
but the heart still flutters
like the wings of a butterfly.
Rita
Friday August 2, 2013
