POETRY

By Jonathan Pessant

 a med­i­ta­tion on the 

    passing of Thich Nhat Hanh

five novices kneel

five recruits sit

ten heads are shaved

basic    for training

recit­ing ten precepts

oathing seven values

trans­form all suffering

        obey all orders

are you part of us

ordained and loved

are you one of us

brave and bold

the sym­bol­ic removal

of hair   of fear   of self

and I can’t stop continuing.

all I see is an apron of tears

in the future   will we

have the need for

sol­diers or 

bud­dhists   or

for rituals in which hair

pillows to the floor

***

This piece orig­i­nal­ly appeared in Stonecoast Review Issue 17. 

Photo by Raimond Klavins.