Change your thoughts and
you change your destiny.

#7 KOAN IMAGE

Monday morning
whip up the up ramp from early morning darkness.
See the same image
every day passing by.
Glance to the right
out empty passenger window,
and greet
industrial building lights
glaring in
swaths of unflinching symmetry
glowering over the pond.
Daily,
I’m seeing and not seeing –
moving up into commuter commotion.
Today I really look,
floating retinal
headlights both inside and out of my body,
aware of
slow motion ducks out there
swimming through reflected stripes
of white lights and luscious dark sinking.

How many times have I passed here unaware?

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
the same.
My eyes
catch the scene for one second
before moving up into traffic flow.

Friday,
round up the bend.
Steal one last look before weekend,
slapped awake into sparkling
headlights merging
soft shapes of waterfowl diving –
a koan image projection to ponder on while driving.

Their duck wings cut through water walls.
Mine plumb brain wave depths,
my newly dipped and formed fingerlings
tunneling neuron pathways
reaching dendrite routes down
deeply into pockets
to explore mindfully along the seams
for food for thought
with only a sense of touch guiding the way.

Dredge a dream
slowly awake.
Gasp for breath.
Grasp and pull in hope,
flopped up with scales gleaming,
sides heaving.
Draw out an idea,
a card to play,
a dime to turn a life upon,
and you will change
jingling
with every movement forward.