Unsolicited Advice to the Class of 2020
Grip life the way a father holds his son’srib bone after a car bomb in a Baghdad market. Treat it … Read More “Unsolicited Advice to the Class of 2020”
Tag: death
Radiation from the Big Bang
Dear grandpa,I never met whopulled the trigger. They say that youhad enemies andit was the Depression, but who really knows?Your … Read More “Radiation from the Big Bang”
Whispering
Under a dying Sycamorea soft handsimply rises on my chestbringing something closeto comfortso lonely and satisfied. George Cassidy Payne is … Read More “Whispering”
Search and Rescue
petrified metaphors a crow filledmeadow a barrier like a riverboat looking upat the skyhidden fumesin the hysteria of extinctionsomewhere helicoptered away from the deltathose sharp edges likeshoulderbladesthe land of my … Read More “Search and Rescue”
Zen and the Art of Dying
I remember when the thought of dying became real to me. I was 24 years old, serving a tour of … Read More “Zen and the Art of Dying”
To Die Like Marat
The death of Marat wasbad, but at least he lookedgood.I don’t want to go out a slob,nothing against slobs.I want … Read More “To Die Like Marat”
America the Beautiful
In Charlottesville they worechinstrap bombs that turnedout to be nothing but dust and stone.In Sacramento, thrown like rag dolls,the flies … Read More “America the Beautiful”
Facing the Loss of a Loved One
Master Jingzong; English translation by Jinghua, edited by Fojin Two objects, A and B are fastened together by a rope. … Read More “Facing the Loss of a Loved One”
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about the Purpose of Life
If we step back and pause to reflect a little, we’ll realize just how many concerns dog us in our … Read More “Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about the Purpose of Life”
Life, Death… All a Matter of Perspective
We like to tell ourselves that we intellectually (even if we struggle to emotionally) grasp the significance of death as … Read More “Life, Death… All a Matter of Perspective”