I am grateful for a conversation this week with a wise man and friend, Lawrence Kampf. We sipped tea over Zoom. He in his home in Croatia, looking out to quiet street of late afternoon. Me in my backyard in Utah, under morning sun umbrella. Lawrence and I share a brothering kind of energy together. Two men committed to exploring. And to quiet.
This poem that I have written below arose in part from that conversation. I liked touching the energy of deep inner world, that I believe is essential for our evolution of the 2020s.
The Now
There is such a thing,
such a practice,
as “not knowing.”
Its fruit is presence.
There is such a thing,
such an experience,
as “utter knowing.”
Its fruit is flow.
Not knowing and utter knowing
abide only marginally apart
lending cups of flour and eggs
as neighbors do.
Also nearby dwells a third neighbor,
that goes by, “it doesn’t matter.”
This one mostly sits calmly on porch,
sipping wine and watching neighbors.