Decision

May be it’s to answer a call or blind fate in finding something

You decide to hike the Appalachian Trail.

The trail is kind to the brave and humble

The pain and sweat and determination

Stay with every step in solidarity with others.

To reach the summit the climb becomes steeper

You have to grab handholds firmly

And pull yourself up with steady upper body strength

In the thin air your heart has to persevere

Your legs gather the steps almost like forever

You do not lose sight of your stamina and purpose

Till a shout of triumphal gratitude.

 

You  are in your nineties now

Seldom mention the deep meaning of your accomplishment

You often smile when someone talks about hiking or a climb

You walk only two to three miles a day.

Questions when I was a freshman

Questions when I was a freshman

One has to have affection for those who do sweat producing work

They grind their way

The results, decent and laudable

Worth of respect and smile

And who can say, they will not chase goats for a game or

not write a guide for the perplexed.

Can you be loyal and articulate to an attachment you revere?

My heart is as peaceful as the snow falling on top of the trees.

Ordinary Things

Ordinary Things

I will not need a hammer

to make a yogurt

I may need a loom

to weave a tapestry

To find lost civilizations

I have to dig hard and deep

The ordinariness of routines,

struggle and perseverance

The devoted hours of monks:

prayers, sleep, work

I will have to master my hands

may not need a trowel or shovel

to work my way through

to find a needle, diamond, or poem

hidden inside a haystack.

I wonder

watching the finishers:
what does it take
to complete a 50-mile run?
will power or willingness
dominance or acceptance
brilliance or humility
one step at a time.

Not a large crowd.