Here are a few of the poems I wrote while in Nepal.
Nepal Day Two
Open my eyes to the mountain side, trees and branches rise
Toward a brightening sky, the day begins.
I find my drishti upon your face, and feel you smile.
You, clever guise.
You, spirit guide.
You, of the narrow switchbacks, chicken coops and simple things.
A suspension bridge to paradise.
A passage between my mind and all things eternal.
Awakened from the inside.
You, ever there to receive me.
Lama Hotel
Exit the green moss kingdom, where the ground was paved with silver flecks
nature's treasure, she doesn't covet.
Beyond the tunnel of trees, the promise of paradise.
Creature comforts await tired feet. Hot water, fire, rice, chocolate.
The pulse of life, bounds in and out. A revolving door of human comings and goings.
Creaking wood, laughter, guitar chords.
Followed by a mandatory dance with death
Those who lay still hear the whispers of river nymphs.
And the slip of the spider's web, as it drops from the ceiling toward dirty human things
muddy shoes and paper bins overflowing with western ways.
We collect our sins and dispense of them. We strive for uncluttered lives.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
We slip into sleep on a thin web of consciousness.
Where we follow a trail made of the contents of paper bins; bread crumbs, tissues, discarded things.
The only road from paradise leads though emptiness.
Creature comforts dance in the dark behind us, as we find our way back to the green moss kingdom.