{"id":1140,"date":"2018-07-31T16:05:55","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T16:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olioweb.me.uk\/wordpress_marcus\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2024-08-19T15:19:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T15:19:04","slug":"poem-of-the-month-august-2018-good-intentions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olioweb.me.uk\/marcus\/?p=1140","title":{"rendered":"Poem of the Month, August 2018: Good Intentions"},"content":{"rendered":"

GOOD INTENTIONS<\/strong>
\nFor Katie. Morning ritual you recommended,<\/em>
\ntogether with 5 deep deep deep breaths,<\/em>
\nwatching the swallows high in the sky.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once you believe in God’s help,
\nAbsolutely everything has meaning.<\/p>\n

In front of my altar:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I need your<\/em> help, Markitos
\nto remove your shortcomings
\ncompletely. You must breathe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Don’t waste any energy
\non thought. It solves nothing.
\nJust act wisely.<\/p>\n

Each day is a miracle,
\nthis cannot be denied.
\nI haven’t felt so jolly good
\nsince the night before I died.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Turn it over, Marcus
\nTurn it over,
\nmy angels keep on telling me.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Turn it over to God.<\/p>\n

Namo Amida Butsu –
\nthe most positive
\nstatement I can make.
\nNo sooner uttered than heard.<\/p>\n

Focus on making things
\neasier for yourself –
\nthey are hard enough.
\nGo for simple solutions.
\nComplete abandon is one.<\/p>\n

The point is,
\nwe are all much more
\nclosely connected
\nthan we realize.<\/p>\n

You can’t imagine
\nwhat pleasure it gives me
\nto be in a room with you.
\nTake it further, if you wish –
\nto be in the world with you.<\/p>\n

Water for the garden
\nas night descends.
\nMaria splashes around.<\/p>\n

Namo Amida Butsu.
\nFind some peace and rest
\nin your Bront\u00c3\u00ab soul.<\/p>\n

Go to bed
\nwith good humour,
\nhoping you’ll wake up
\nin the morning.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Come to me for rest.
\nFive minutes’ meditation
\nnever killed anyone.<\/p>\n

Talk of the Unhindered Path!
\nMy life today
\nwas packed with miracles.<\/p>\n

The fat friendly pigeon
\nperched on the box hedge
\nflapped off at my approach.<\/p>\n

I had frequent moments
\nof spiritual unity
\nwith Amida.<\/p>\n

Beyond Acceptance is Realization.
\nFirst, we accept getting along with
\ntwo or three hours’ deep sleep
\nwhich take us to Mars and back.
\nPeople are sceptical, give advice
\nwhich, as alcoholics we pooh-pooh.
\nThen one day we finally admit to ourselves
\nthat we feel much better without it.
\nWe have drilled alternative sources of energy.<\/p>\n

ONE SOLUTION
\nGo and live in a hut
\non the mountainside
\nand recite Nembutsu round the clock.<\/p>\n

ANOTHER
\nLive in God’s presence.
\nFeel yourself permeated
\nwith warmth and goodness.<\/p>\n

She sleeps for 10 hours,
\nI for 10 minutes.
\nWe sometimes meet on the stairs.<\/p>\n

First signs of daylight,
\nurge to take a Power Nap.
\nSnuggle under her quilt?<\/p>\n

Try as I will to escape,
\nI always wake up
\non the same planet.<\/p>\n

I imagine ELS
\nbringing me a white mug
\nof water to my bedside
\nwhere I’m lying on my back
\npropping my eyelids open.<\/p>\n

If ELS abandons me
\nlike my Earth mother did,
\nI’ll fall through the ice.
\nThat would NOT be nice.<\/p>\n

Prayer
\nis the poor man’s way
\nof paying off
\na Happiness instalment.<\/p>\n

Half the cure
\nto any disease
\nis the patient’s
\nATTITUDE to it.<\/p>\n

Sit down in silence
\nand let God decide
\nwhat he has in store for you.<\/p>\n

I promise
\nto pay attention, dear Lord
\nto the signals you give me.<\/p>\n

Ten times a day
\nhe saves me from saying
\nsomething utterly stupid.
\nMy rhododendrons help him.<\/p>\n

Let me put your love
\ninto this day, and HEAR
\nwhat other people say.<\/p>\n

Summer dawns
\nstretch out endlessly.
\nOur wives
\nnever open their windows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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