We That Pass, Love What Abides

"We that change,
Hate change.
And we that pass,
Love what abides.
...
Ashes,
Darkness,
Dust."
-  R. H. Blyth (1898-1964), Mortality

I first read books by R. H. Blyth when I was fourteen years old.  He inspired me then; and, he inspires me when I read him at the ripe old age of 69.  I find his writing quirky, insightful, clever, down to earth, over-reaching at times, puzzling, disjointed, full of Zen, strong on comparisons between Western and Eastern poets, steeped in Japanese culture, and brilliant.  He was my first intellectual and literary contact with Zen, along with books by Alan Watts and D.T. Suzuki. 

Zen Poetry

Haiku and Short Poems by Mike Garofalo