a mamaist ars poetica

     In my black sleep a voice says, "Change your feet."
    
                       　 And I do.
                           
     Then it says, "Change your hands."

                           And I do.
                           
     Then it says, "Change your legs."

                           And I do so.
                           
     Then, "Change what is small. Change what is big."

                           And I do that too.
                           
     Then, "Change what is near. Change what is far."

                          And without hesitation I do.
                           
     And when at last the voice says, "Change your heart."

                           in that moment it's as if I hear 

     a 'click' and suddenly everything is falling 

                           into place at the same time as







Botsford, Alan. mamaist: learning a new language. Kamakura, Japan, Minato No Hito, 2002.

a mamaist home

One day upon returning home I said,
    Is anybody there? 
    Does anybody care?
And I heard a voice calling back to me, saying:
    Voyager, welcome!
    Settle down in these depths--
    Make yourself at home. 
    But know also that your reservation
    further on down the road 
    is already booked. 
    We're expecting you.
And home for me after that wasn't what it used to be...

Another day when I came home I said:
    Don't they know what's mine Mine MINE
    is not theirs Theirs THEIRS!
    The difference is nothing to sneeze at!
And I heard the voice say:
      Hardships prepare you 
     for the work ahead.
And home for me after that wasn't what it used to be...

Another day on arriving home I said,
    Hey! I wanna join the club of bards!
    Who's holding all the cards?
And the voice said to me:
    Down in the dumps? 
    Taking your lumps?
    Why, it's more than you can bear?
    Time to learn the ropes, and beware.
    This isn't everyone's cup of tea,
    nor should it be.
And home for me after that wasn't what it used to be...

Not long ago I returned home and said:
    What in God's name is going on?!
And the voice said to me:
    Drifter, settle down!
    How many times are you 
    going to burst today?
    Put a lid on it! Pipe down! 
    What goes unspoken
    goes golden.
And home for me after that wasn't what it used to be
 as I went on falling into the openness of the world--




Botsford, Alan. mamaist: learning a new language. Kamakura, Japan, Minato No Hito, 2002.