Bashō Fishing

In torrential rains
Bashō stands in his boat
fishing for hokku.





~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Basho and the Fireworks

Bashō watches
fireworks over the city:
not cherry blossoms!





~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Basho Tweets: Matsushima now

Dreaming, Bashō
wakes in Matsushima now:
still Matsushima!






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Basho Tweets: No Hokku

Bashō stopped short,
turning to Sora and sighed
“no hokku when Zen.”





~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-023: Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens
circa 1980:
First there is a mountain,
then there is no mountain,
then there is.





~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-022: It's Easy Being Green

There’s a green
in the Columbia River Gorge
that’s like water come to life.
In places, it’s pervasive and ubiquitous.
I am that: green.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-021: New Camoldi Bubble

Sitting by the road at the New Camaldoli
high above Big Sur,
I see Spirit penetrate the bubble.
Someone calls it God.
The story begins.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-020: Malibu Merton

That Malibu is 27 miles long
is mind-blowing.
That Thomas Merton died on the 27th anniversary of his ordination
is mind-inhaling.
Breathing!






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-019: Home of the Gods

The Olympic Mountains
seen from Seattle
look less like the home of the gods
and more like maybe Alaska.
None of them is real of course.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-018: Homage to Cat's Cradle

Stuck in traffic
on the freeway in Santa Barbara.
With apologies to Kurt Vonnegut:
there’s no damn free and no damn way.
Just here and now.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-017: Disbelieving Oregon

Seastacks of the Oregon Coast
rise from waves
like thoughts of a continent.
If seeing is truly disbelieving,
then why does the sun set here?






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-016: Cannery Consumption

Cannery Row
in Monterey is no longer the site
of sardine canning factories.
It conspicuously consumes America instead.
But where’s Charley?






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-015: Question 39

The sea lions at Pier 39
in SF posed
an interesting question to tourists last week.
No one answered with moos though.
And I nearly got sick.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku

Twitterka: LCS-014: Venturing

Watching surfers ride
the waves at Hermosa Beach is like
watching folks in wetsuits meditating:
enlightenment is the wipe out,
not the ride.






~Kokoro Sonzai 2009 (trans. Son Rivers)
reformatted from original twitter for twitterku


special link to the Ventures Live: Wipe Out