I’ve a fat-happy Buddha belly
not to be confused
with Buddha mind,
which is arrow-slim and quick
as the knife of Ting the Cook
slicing fresh ham.
I do not claim to know the joys
and sorrows of the koi in the pond.
But I know the pleasures of feeding them.
The fruit on the tree of love
is an apple
I have sampled. And will again.
“Golden apples,”
sweet oranges in the sun.
Everything I own is in
my heart and head and amounts
to almost nothing, a dream—
and yet a long moment of silence
to greet the day
is a glimpse of heaven.
There are dreams to be realized
before dreams and dreamers die.
We’re borne on the wings of butterflies.
Sam Hamill’s recent books include Almost Paradise: New & Selected Poems & Translations, Measured by Stone, and Avocations: On Poets & Poetry.
Listen to Sam Hamill read his poem here.
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