SEATTLE ZEN POEM, by Jon Wesick
Sometimes I sit and watch my thoughts
come and go like clouds in the sky.
When one stays too long,
others gather,
and soon there is a shower.
It rains a lot here,
but last night it was clear,
and I observed the moon and the stars.
*****
COUNTING BREATHS, by Jon Wesick
In – one, out – one, in – two, out – two…
Tightness in the chest – dizzy
Always out of breath when counting breaths
Let go of the breath. Just sit.
An evening breeze enters through the open window – cooling.
Robes too hot for summer
Tired of listening to my thoughts
Give the mind a rest.
Listen to the birds instead.
Oh! There it is!
The whine of a gasoline edger
Whzzzz!
*****
Zen and Writing
Jon Wesick
I practice Zen and write. I’m in good company. Zen practitioners Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, Jane Hirshfield, and Norman Fischer write (or have written) poetry while Natalie Goldberg, Peter Matthiessen, and Janwillem van de Wetering write prose.
To explain how Zen influences my poetry I need to define what Zen and poetry are. Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Sanskrit term, dhyana, which means meditation. As I practice it, meditation is simply the act of being present in the here and now. When meditating I observe my thoughts without trying to repress or grab hold of them. It’s hard to define poetry but the most basic advice for writing it is, “Show. Don’t tell.” That is, present the images and emotions raw without interpretation. Sounds a lot like meditation. Doesn’t it? Accept your thoughts as they are without rationalization and self-justification. In poetry I express my experiences as honestly as I can in the hope of triggering the recognition of something similar in my readers. The highest compliment a reader can give a poem of mine would be to say, “I feel that way, too!”
Fiction is a different discipline. The art of the story depends on conflict and resolution. Stories are hard-wired in the human brain. They’re how we view reality. The problem is that reality isn’t a story. I’ve struggled for years to understand the Buddha’s Second Noble Truth, Suffering’s Cause, and how it manifests in my life. For me suffering arises not so much from craving but from the stories I tell myself that aren’t true. When I work myself into a rage imagining a final showdown with an irritating coworker, I’m telling myself a false story. By writing fiction, I am better able to recognize the author of suffering lifting his pen.
After writing both prose and poetry, I wonder about the difference between them. What is poetry after all? Free verse doesn’t have the meter and rhyme that sets formal poetry apart from prose. Poets often speak about the music of the line. This doesn’t help me as I’m more of a philosopher with a tin ear than a musician when it comes to verse. A poem tends to have looser grammar and more metaphor than prose, but this isn’t all. Sam Hamod says a poem has more to do with feeling than with line number and counting syllables. Perhaps a poem is like pornography. I can’t define it but I know one when I hear one.
I also wonder about the purpose of Zen. What is it about sitting and staring at a wall that’s special? Could you get the same effect by shooting a bow or flying a glider? After years of meditation practice I did not become the invulnerable superman, I wanted to be. I became more myself in a way I can’t quite express. Facing the blank page is like being at a Zen retreat in a room full of gongs and shaved heads and asking, “What am I doing here?” The answer to this question is often to simply do what needs doing, recite the Heart Sutra or write the next sentence.
Friend, what are we doing here? This human life is mysterious. It’s entertaining to speculate on how we got here and why. Unlike many, I believe we may indeed find answers to these questions in time. And still, we need to go to work and care for our loved ones. Let’s get on with it.
END
Jon Wesick is an accomplished poet who has been writing poetry for about 10 years and studying Zen for about 20 years. He is also a member of The Vista Zen Center and was recently asked by Jake Sensei to put together a compilation of some of his more Zen-related poems. This resulted in the printing of “The Deer Park Investigation”, which is available at the Zen Center or from Jon (jwesick@sbcglobal.com).
Seattle Zen Poem and Counting Breaths are short poems from this publication. Jon told me that both of these poems came to him in a flash and, for the most part, he played the role of a scribe. They capture the essence of the Zazen experience and would make excellent “Required Reading” for new Zen students. “Seattle Zen Poem” appeared in Sacred Journey and the North Cascades Buddhist Priory Newsletter. “Counting Breaths” appeared in the Thinking Post Anthology and the TTZC Newsletter.
You can read more of Jon’s work online at www.aphelion-webzine.com and www.asininepoetry.com . In the near future I will be posting an excellent article by Jon called “Zen and Writing”.
I would encourage other poets or writers to contact me if interested in having their works posted on this site.
