the great yes

for some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. it's clear at once who has the Yes
ready within them; and saying it,

they go from honor to honor, strong in their conviction.

they who refuse do not repent. asked again,
they would still say No. yet that No--the right No--
drags them down all their life.

                                 - constantine p. cavafy

recently - listening to a dharma talk by jane hirshfield -

she shared this poem..

a poem i knew vaguely..

yet one i could not forget..

the great yes 

the great no

do they abide within us?

the answers to mighty questions

perceived immediately..

with no doubt..

arising in a just this moment..

then - the wibbly ways

with no certain conviction, 

the great and perhaps wise unknown...

our saying No..

may be saying Yes elsewhere -

cloud hidden at the time..

our saying Yes

- a No in another meadow 

of our lives?

is Maybe the middle way?

Maybe.....

might we translate Rumi's poem..?

out beyond ideas of No (wrongdoing) and Yes (rightdoing),

there is a field. i'll meet you there.

when the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

ideas, language, even the phrase each other

doesn't make any sense.

peace be with you ~

peace be with you,

friend