I went for a long bike ride Wednesday. Just intended to go out for an hour or so but it ended up as 8. Life happens when you are making other plans.
Suffering from a long trip home after reaching Wolchulsan National Park and then hitting a headwind all the way home, with several long lost detours. Suffering too with this damn condition, woke up in the middle of the night and someone was carving out a bigger hole in my asshole. Seems I sat wrong on the saddle and I’m now still paying for it. Forget the details, this nerve stuff down there, near your private parts, is not too nice. I hope to sleep one of these days soon.
But back to my ride.
On the way out, wind at my back, I was going along some branch river of the mighty Yeongsangang river and what to my wonderous eyes did appear? Not reindeer. No. Just this chair. In the middle of nowhere by the river. A barber’s chair.
Suffice to say, I tossed the bike, walked down a short path and sat there. Just taking everything in. Recorded this poem into my phone. A kind of tribute to Miroslav Holub’s beautiful poem - The Door. Long time ago, had the pleasure of doing a reading with Holub at the wonderful, - Globe Bookstore in Prague. Back in that day, it was a slice of happen in the newly opened, curtainless Eastern Europe.
So here is my poem. Loved this chair. No more comfortable do they come. I think I’ll be heading back out there soon …
The Chair.
Go and sit in the chair.
Maybe you’ll sink in
and discover something
or maybe just
fall asleep.
Go and sit in the chair.
Maybe the wind will
catch your hair and
you’ll understand the
reason you are here.
Maybe nothing will happen
and the world will be
just as it should.
But that’s ok
it is an answer too.
Go and sit in the chair.
Take off your shoes
and let the chair free
your feet from
the endless march of time.
Go and sit in the chair.
If there’s something
on your mind,
the chair will let you
sink into it and
merge with it.
Buddha's middle way.
Go and sit in the chair.
If there is some doubt
the chair won’t push back
but will absorb and
then softly
doubt will vanish.
Go and sit in the chair.
Take in the view.
Ask yourself to stop
going hither and anon
ask yourself to let life
come to you
for a change.
At least
there’ll be
a breeze.
Real, imagined
no matter ‘cuz,
sitting still
does
matter.
The Chair