a mouse in soft slippers

by kansuke yamamoto

which is the dog and which is the wolf 

which is the priest and which is the demon 

the jailer and the prisoner 

the killer and the victim 

And where shall I make my stand in this world 

-james lee jobe

Link: YOUNG AFRIKANS, a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks

is it windy enough for you, james

the winds 

passing up this valley

come from the ocean

far away 

the blow of nature 

across the flat earth 

twilight as I write this 

and through the window 

I can see the pine tree tops 

waving hello to me again

-james lee jobe

“What, what am I to do with all of this life?”

-Gwendolyn Brooks

on the other side of the sky

the victims are the victors

and the victors are the victims

life is a balance    yes

on the other side of the sky

the windows are mirrors

and the mirrors are windows

even now the the victims

and the victors are looking

at each other through glass

is it real    is it a reflection

on the other side of the sky

that is not an issue

a hand reaches out

to touch another hand

and touches glass instead

then   very slowly

the owners of those hands

each look into the face

and eyes of the other

-james lee jobe 

my beard is nearly all white now 

and the top of my head 

is becoming more bare all the time 

like many old men 

there is seldom a sunrise that I miss 

I like to wake up early 

and meditate while the house is silent. 

how silent 

like a mouse in soft slippers 

walking gently on a carpet 

let the mind be empty at dawn

 and in doing so leave yesterday behind 

one day is enough weight to carry 

why carry two

-james lee jobe 

"If your mind is empty, it is ready for anything. In the beginner's mind 

there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few." 

-Shunryu Suzuki

I remember all of the times that I have let myself down 

it is something I carry with me into my dreams 

those times those failures

and also my few successes 

in dreams I embrace my failures and triumphs 

and I name them as my own a part of myself  

and in doing so I can release them all

and so find my rest 

success without pride failure without regret 

let that be the road where I walk

the bed where I sleep  

-james lee jobe

by sanjeev verma

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james