In the morning
After taking cold shower
—–what a mistake—–
I look at the mirror.
There, a funny guy,
Grey hair, white beard, wrinkled skin,
—–what a pity—–
Poor, dirty old man!
He is not me, absolutely not.
Land and life
Fishing in the ocean
Sleeping in the desert with stars
Building a shelter in mountains
Farming the ancient way
Singing with coyotes
Singing against nuclear war –
I’ll never be tired of this life.
Now I’m seventeen years old,
Very charming young man.
I sit down quietly in lotus position,
Meditating, meditating for nothing.
Suddenly a voice comes to me:
“To stay young,
To save the world,
Break the mirror.”
Nanao Sakaki, 1996, trans. Gary Snyder
This poem was one of the many worthwhile finds within the pages of Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. A Christian author who was recommended to me for years by various people, I finally got around to reading her. And I’m glad I did! As one of the liner notes has it, “Lamott has developed an entirely new genre of religious writing.” It goes on to suggest that she is the “patron saint of struggling sinners” and I would add, to clarify: she might also be the patron saint of struggling writers. Beautifully written, full of detail and imagery; deeply personal; troubled, irreverent, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious; these are not memoirs for the faint-hearted.