the tremendous valley of california
Pablo Picasso - The Fool, 1904
“All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.”
Kabir
dear parents
if there is a next life i don’t want to be your son
i don’t want to even know you
you are as different from each other
as summer is from winter
and yet you’re both full of shit
father
with your lies and your cruelty
mother
with your superstitions
your ridiculous beliefs
and your violence
i am far better off with the dharma
even if i am a flea on the ass of a mongrel dog
i release myself now
from all of the crap you taught me
there is no god and no america to worship
all is impermanence
i will worship emptiness
i will pledge allegiance to the truth
if there is a next life i don’t want to be your son
i don’t want to even know you
even though i love you still
years after you have passed away
into the shadows
into your cool graves
it is a spring day
fresh and green,
and as i write these words
the strength of the sunshine
lays across my face and hands
and i am free
i choose to be so
James Lee Jobe
"Don't fear mistakes. There are none."
Miles Davis
cool night air
sleeping under a favorite blanket
waking once around 3 am to read a couple of poems
--wang ping’s ten thousand waves--
then sleep until the soft sunrise sings me awake
to go make the coffee
that’s a nice night isn’t it
yes nice indeed
James Lee Jobe
Tule Elk, Yolo County, California
"What an extraordinary privilege to know
that you have within you a refuge
that nobody can ever touch.
Nobody can take it away from you."
Helen Tworkov
if you must know
i live in the tremendous valley of california
sheltered below the mountains
and safe from the sharks in the sea
but in another world i live in the mountains
and in yet another world i live beside the sea
or perhaps i am the valley
perhaps i am the mountains and the sea
i don’t really much care
this valley reaches from here to there
and i am grateful to be alive
let’s be silent now
you close your eyes and i will close mine
that is reality enough for one day
James Lee Jobe
"When the mind relaxes its grip, the body leads the way.
It’s a great relief for the mind, in fact."
Willa Blythe Baker
A poem from the late Robert Bly
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James