Gratitude

      

By Changming Yuan

Monday Prayer                 You have already given me too much   Oh, just a little bit less, Lord! The air I breathe indefinitely The trees I see every day The water flowing without stop The hills looming constantly beyond the bay   Even a single ray of morning glow would be       Enough to illuminate my benighted soul Mindful Moment                                                No intruding of any kind No trespassing into the scene Except the exit of last sound, last image From this inner stage. No apparition of A single feel or memory, as if In an intended senior moment indefinitely Stretched, when my inner being dissolves fully Into the outer-being.                            Now the sky is free of clouds as My gratitude keeps growing, bit by bit Slowly but surely, until I become the universe &                                 The universe becomes me Gaxylanding   While all my fellow humans hope to  Enter heaven after they die, I am alone Living in paradise already:   An earthly realm I have built myself With the light from Lapland, where the setting sun Shines with the morning glows above golden snow   The air from Shangri-la, where the yin And yang are in pure and perfect balance with Each other in every grass, every cloud   The water from Waterton Lakes, which Reflect the mountain of trees as clearly As the mountain reflects upon the clear water   Thank God! That’s all my spirit needs, not The fragments of the meaning about Eden long lost But the whole backyard within my solitary heart Imagining Tomorrow: A Free Sonnet   The rising sun is sure to be the same As yesterday, but the morning glows Will be entirely different As each cloud takes a fresh shape Like a brocade blown from heaven   Solid and sustainable, such similes Have built a high-arched bridge Connecting the darkest moments of The mid-night, closely & directly With the sunlight of tomorrow   Upon wakening, the moment I get up I find myself crossing the bridge right From dark to light: at one end is Hope; at the other, a brand new life Quest in Question   Every soul is in search of something. So  What are you pursuing in particular? A first-rate education, a good job, a dream house A short cut to success, a prosperous career A special map, a gold mine, an effective recipe  A magic gadget, a super talent, a passport A secret, a key, a harbor, a connection, a savior A nest for your heart, a soulmate, an ideal or   The truth, the elixir, the cure, the Way The Dao, the meaning of life (if any at all) The peace of mind, the human rights or   Freedom, equality, dignity, longevity Health, wealth, fame, friendship, love Sex, power, honor, knowledge, wisdom Good, beauty, Heaven, God or happiness per se...?   While this list may go on forever amongst all Such desirable things, tangible or otherwise I have nothing to look for, except another breath Of air to inhale, in this very antlike moment, all The love from this universe, then to exhale All my gratitude out of my inner being Thank God: I Write; Therefore, I Am   How I wished to find meaning in life Like everyone else, always busy Trying to make some sense out of Their small existences. By making A name. By striking rich. Or by gaining Power in an office, but alas, they’re all Ethereal, even if they Could change the shape of this world   The true meaning of life, if any at all Is to create one out of it; for instance By writing and loving. In fact, by Living & writing about my life, I’m Living twice & will attain immortality       What I say is, to write is to live Not only in this moment but to live for ever As writing offers traceable permanence Eternalizing & transcending the idea of time Though the words are subject to editing Misunderstanding; to accidental deletion To permanent loss during transmission As to fire & water, no matter whether they Are printed in paper or stored in cyberspace