1.
A lone bell note. Then
its echo. Thrown
stone loping over
a lake. Tones
the leaves hold. You
will not return. Yet
we wait.
2.
Hollow cup. A strike
tone rolls
away. Worn
pastels hang
over sorrow. Leave
us silence, broken
by your gentle hand.
3.
Mouthful of bruises. Black
songs go to mauve. No one
hears. Frayed leaves
tap along a road – gone, like you
from strum and pick. Amp
-lify shock. Make
our wounds anew.
4.
Sound decays. Bell
notes fall, then fall
apart. Autumn’s quiet
scythe. Branches let
go. Someone sweeps
at night. You slept
among leaves.
5.
Clear note, go
back. Leaves
pitch to our feet. Sudden
rain. Scripts we forget. You
refuse clear
sky. Your flight
forgives us.
6.
Clay without tongue. What’s left
to say? Perfect
chord, cast sorrow’s
shadow in sound. We wait
mute on your sunset hill. Grass
our knees. Leave
nothing but love.
7.
On the cup’s lip, unsung
words. Unbearable
sound. Branch
without bud, you winter
all response. Dragonfly –
linger all morning. Draw
hope from us. Fly.
Note
In most Buddhist traditions, ceremony is held in memory of a deceased person once every seven days until 49 days after death, to guide the spirit to the land of bliss. The ringing of bells – an instrument whose sound, technically, decays – is often part of this. The mantra gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā, part of the Heart Sutra, is known as the Heart-calming Mantra.