the long night remains

That I might see myself for who I am, without listening to others tell me who I should be. That I might always be working to pare away the false layers of who I am not, layers that have built up over time. That I might find and remain truly myself.

James Lee Jobe

Everything must end.

Thus the day tries to begin

with the morning bell.

But the long night remains,

empty moon still in the sky.

Fujiwara no Ietaka, 1158-1237 CE

Fujiwara no Ietaka

Jazz: Art Pepper, Patrica. 

Pepper wrote this for his daughter, as a way of saying he was sorry for being a crummy father; heroin, in and out of jail, etc.

In amerikkka.

Clean and load the rifle. 

Hide it under the sofa. 

Clean and load the pistol. 

Hide it in the kitchen. 

Another pistol upstairs. 

Somewhere. 

They are coming. 

Was it Lorca who told us 

about the grass of the cemetery? 

That the grass is waiting for us. 

Toward the end it will be the ghosts 

who pass you the ammunition. 

I will already be dead. 

 James Lee Jobe

Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughn, Life By The Drop

You can always improve your situation. But you do so by facing it, not by running away.

Brad Warner

Break the Mirror

In the morning

After taking cold shower

—-what a mistake—-

I look at the mirror.

There, a funny guy,

Grey hair, white beard, wrinkled skin,

—-what a pity—-

Poor, dirty, old man,

He is not me, absolutely not.

Land and life Fishing in the ocean Sleeping in the desert with stars Building a shelter in the mountains Farming the ancient way Singing with coyotes Singing against nuclear war— I’ll never be tired of life. Now I’m seventeen years old, Very charming young man. I sit quietly in lotus position, Meditating, meditating for nothing. Suddenly a voice comes to me: “To stay young, To save the world,

Break the mirror.”

Nanao Sakaki, 1923-2008

Sakaki was a wandering poet, and indeed walked over a good

part of this planet. A WWII vet for Japan, he was an important to

Japan's counter-culture in the 1960s and 70s, helped found a

Pacific Island commune, and was a good friend of American poet

Gary Snyder.

A guided meditation with Zen priest Thich Nhat Hanh Everything is perfect, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Shunryu Suzuki Good advice from Suzuki. It covers how I feel about my life. If you liked this post, if you like this blog, you can help support it by buying me a coffee once in a while. Not every time, just sometimes! Thanks -james