Poetry: Morley Cacoethes

Pebbles Upon the Narrow Road VIII  

The history of this shrine calls the mountain.

The goddess of the shrine is widely called

for her fidelity is birthly known

to eat then give them fish. That is why,

also, the shrine is wide towards the mountain.

Flowers blossom the features of the cauldron.

My main companion told me its story: the goddess

of smoke, forbidden for her fidelity,

the goddess of the poets, forbidden herself.

***

Pebbles of Desolation XVII 

Oh, three or four over creation. Well,

I hope so. Ol’ Morley’ll find

a nice shady spot and pick you

to do the zigzags all oven hot. Just keep

the fire and go to wait. You keep

pouring wood in those. I don’t know.

I’m only going to pay you to just keep

pouring wood in it. We’re only going

to come up here to wail our long silence.

***

Pebbles Upon the Narrow Road XV

To see what remains of them are young

and very lived in this province. The priest

is lively company, and sets out, walking

stick in hand, for this temple. Some men

offered to see what remained of his hut

in which most of the temple remains,

where most of the priest once told me

he had written this province on a stone.

***

A Jazz Haiku

do-beee-do-beee-bop

dodo-tweeee-bruble-dodup

bu-bu-bu-boooweeee

***

Haikus

Even cinderblocks

and chain link windows cannot

stop Buddha, stop Zen.

A crash of lake waves

rushes the weed smoke into

my lungs for Buddha.

Sitting zazen, I 

find myself alone with me

until Buddha comes.

***

BIO: Morley Cacoethes currently resides in Northeast Ohio where he attends "the people's university" while trying to stay warm and find a permanent residence.

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Setu, January 2024