is our first religion our most primeval ritual to be remembered by those who have beennearly forgotten is the holiest experience George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays and letters have […]
spirituality
Falling in Love
Welded inside another mindher words openedfor the first time the way of Zen climbing the necklike a waterfall ofdolomite and gypsummy eyes closedgravity reversedscents of being liftedairborne and fragrant George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher […]
6 Days and 6 Weeks
Think a little less and live a little more 1. ParentPay attention. Help. Teach. 2. Husband Be kind. Be there. Be a good friend. 3. HealthBe fit. Be of a good mind. Be mindful of the food and the animals. Be in nature. 4. WorkBe on time. Be reliable. Be focused. Be respectful. Be open to opportunity. 5. SpiritualityMake all of the above work in harmony. Be grateful […]
Rise
where there is no religion but God and moon and landand sea and the gathering of otherswho are ready for you to believe. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays […]
The Holy Spirit
is copper infused tulipsfloating in mineral water,tilting under a Himalayan salt lamp. Pray and be kind to it. Play Otis and Mozart for it.Treat it like a friend who you always want to go out with. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. […]
As Benedictines
We see a single incandescent light beneath the pond,a flash at the bottom of four stemmed glasses, as if we were still in the Orleanais,where sins are garnished with clams and stewed in the finest vichyssoise. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The […]
Heaven and Earth
I am left timeless. My skin is timeless. Like the rusty mercury gauge in an old Chevy. I am gazing upon Christ. I am aggressive.My density is aggressive. I am an out of body experience. My blood pressure drops to zero. I am a cardiac arrest. The feeling of absolute resolution. I am the hangings, shootings, and burnings. I am a pathof […]
A Buddhist Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Recently on the PBS News Hour, David Brooks called COVID-19 a national stress test for how well and long we can maintain our collective faith in institutions and each other. Indeed, the coronavirus has shaken the very foundations of society as we all know it. But to call it a stress test is, given what […]
Bread
Contained in a kernel of wheat,bound by unseen chains of patterns,each branch comes alive with waterand heat. Alive with the digestionof the universe. So we pray: Give usthis day our daily bread, and forgive usour trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespass against us, notknowing how we were made to rise. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work […]
Bow & Be
ThatTooTimeless&NewbornCaperingThroughWhat loveCan leave on thoseTraces of EarthEnduringThe rivers andAll that May be trueMaybe.My whole past, too.My heart.The lost partOf the brain.Cutting like a Samurai’s swordTouching the grassOr taking off a tight shoeDeath the wayRam Dass felt it. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry […]