136 Syllables at Rocky Mountain Dharma Center
136 Syllables at Rocky Mountain Dharma Center - meaning Summary
Presence in Small Moments
The poem offers a sequence of brief, observational vignettes from a monastic retreat. Small, specific images—birds, a dandelion seed, two men sleeping hand in hand, mundane meals—accumulate into a portrait of attentive, present-moment awareness. The snapshots blend natural detail with quiet human intimacy, emphasizing transience and gentle attention rather than narrative progression. Repetition at the end underscores the soft persistence of ordinary life and sound.
Read Complete AnalysesTail turned to red sunset on a juniper crown a lone magpie cawks. Mad at Oryoki in the shrine-room -- Thistles blossomed late afternoon. Put on my shirt and took it off in the sun walking the path to lunch. A dandelion seed floats above the marsh grass with the mosquitos. At 4 A.M. the two middle-aged men sleeping together holding hands. In the half-light of dawn a few birds warble under the Pleiades. Sky reddens behind fir trees, larks twitter, sparrows cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.
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