my animal skin fits so tight

dawn and the stranger

I prefer to rise before dawn when the air 

is cool and the light is thin      and the muscles 

of night finally relax      often my dreams 

are still with me     and I wonder if I should whisper 

them to you but I never do      I put these dreams 

now slender things     into a box      and I place 

the box on a shelf       this shelf holds many boxes 

each containing more dreams than the one 

beside it      and so the dawn passes      you rise

later than me       and I say nothing except 

for a slight greeting      no more than one 

would say to a stranger passing in the street 

james lee jobe

We can aspire to be kind right in the moment, to relax and open our heart and mind to what is in front of us right in the moment. Now is the time. If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time.

Pema Chödrön

in the skin of the beast

at times I take off this man skin 

and slip on the skin of a beast      my beast  

why     so that I can run with the pack 

and swing through the trees 

and fly just above the treetops 

fast and dangerous 

and I hunt 

I swoop    I claw      I bite 

my jaws    my beak     my talons 

and my animal skin fits so tight 

there is no room for mercy 

you'll probably never see me that way 

but if you ever do     you better move 

you better run 

james lee jobe

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. 

D. T. Suzuki

Sins are not brands, and we are not cattle. Forgive yourself. Start again. 

james lee jobe 

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james