miracle fair - Wislawa Szymborska

wislawa was born in poland.
she is a poet.
wislawa was a witness to the horrors
of world war II.
she is called the mozart of poetry.


Commonplace miracle: 
that so many commonplace miracles take place. 

An ordinary miracle: 
in the dead of night 
the barking of invisible dogs. 

One miracle out of many: 
a small, airy cloud 
is able to upstage a large and heavy moon. 

Several miracles in one: 
an alder tree reflected in the water, 
and that it's reversed left to right 
and that it grows there, crown down 
and never reaches the bottom, 
even though the water is shallow. 

An everyday miracle: 
winds weak to moderate 
turning gusty in storms. 

First among equal miracles: 
cows are cows. 

Second to none: 
just this cherry orchard 
from just this cherry seed. 

A miracle without a cape and top hat: 
fluttering white doves.

A miracle, (for what else could you call it): 
the sun rose at three-fourteen a.m.
and will set at eight-o-one.

A miracle, less surprising than it should be: 
the hand actually has fewer than six fingers, 
but it still has more than four. 

A miracle,  just take a look around: 
the inescapable earth. 

An extra miracle, extra and ordinary: 
the unthinkable 
can be thought. 


it is said ..
when the buddha awoke,
the inescapable earth trembled
& the high holies in the heavenly realms
celebrated mightily..
expressing joy at the miracle of enlightenment!

a miracle because in a wisp of shift
of the thinking to the unthinkable
free from any limitations
a snap! of any of the five fingers
we / they / she / he / it
witness a new reality..
momentary, to be sure..
because..well -
isn't it all momentary..?
free of any condition of past, future..
free, even,  of the great spaciousness of the present ~

a slip of the wrist, a turn of a gaze..
and whoop-dee-dee..
we are awake..
not a far away goal to glean and grasp..
just a breath away ..
just a kiss away ~
(gimme shelter.. the stones croon..
from our inner waging/raging war
of misery, fear, hope, defense..
gimme shelter..
from that clinging claw of enlightenment)

miracle of clarity..
miracle of unfettered joy..
miracle of devotion, trust, bliss..
miracle of invisible love dogs barking
in the neighborhood night of our open hearts ~

just a breath away
just a kiss away