A Picture of Henry David Thoreau

07-09-2017

Louisville, Kentucky

 

Sitting under the glare of

Hunter S Thompson –

at the concreate table

outside of the coffee house

my Mother loved, next

to the bookstore she

used to drag us kids

into, years ago –

the carpenter bees visit

the passion flowers as

I fall into a well of

thought. Just one opening

of the door, and an

image – A book

stares at me, and

the bearded David

is sitting on the

display table – and over

on a different shelf

almost all of Wendell

Berry’s works are hand

signed – no mark up

applied to the printed

price – a massive cloud

just above, orange hue

silver linings – my friends

the mockingbirds are

singing – little chirping birds –

talking, talking, talking –

but those bees! They root

through over grown

vines to find a spectacle

of a flower.

I miss my friend John Hagan –

we used to sit at

this table – minds

wandering, words flowing

alive with conversation –

I feel him now. I

can still see him

walking down the street –

his glide, hop of innocent

happiness, his loving smile

greeting on arrival.

The smell of food, spices

and flowers fill the

light breeze as my

gaze goes looking up

to that cloud – I think

funny honest thoughts.

What if Thoreau was

married?

That story he wrote would

have been quite different!

What if the Dali Llama

had a teenager, rebelling

just to rebel. What were

those conversations

we used to have here

all about? I, like Rumi

long for my friend!

The Friend!

It is easy to write

poetry if your intended

audience is God!

These words may or

may not matter!

That cloud is gone

just like the memory of

many nights, walking

these streets, on this

road – years ago –

ecstatically manic and

following the thoughts

and words of Bawa, my

Sufi teacher! It is easy to

write if your mentor

gives you a job, and then

the next thing you know

you have half the

shelf dedicated to

bringing to life

the words of a whirling

dervish. As the sun sets

on Hunter, his memory

as large as a building – this

paper is coming to an

end – My honesty

takes over and my

pen could say what is

really on my mind!

But the the feller at the

bookstore just walked

by carrying garbage to

the dumpster – so I

won’t get mad and

let this pen write that

I don’t know why I think

I should keep going.

Maybe, I should keep

my inspiration quiet?

Keep it to myself.

I am waiting for a sign-

but all I seem to

get is another sun set.

Another cup of coffee –

another worried mind,

another mindful thought

before I go – this paper

is almost gone –

I was asked once why

I decided to write

this poetry …

My answer was, “I don’t

know.” I told Wendell

once that I had not read

all his works. He said, “You

don’t have to!”

 

John Paul

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