Once upon a time, not so far away, I was caught up in thoughts and worried about one of my sons. Mind jumping from past to future, trying to work it all out for a happily ever after ending. Once upon a time, on this morning’s wander, I woke up out of the thought stream. There was space to choose my experience, and my perception teacher’s words came back to me: “fire engine red,” not “red fire engine.” From practice, I know my senses can open me to a different experience. I know the phenomenal world is one of my greatest allies for waking up and staying present. In this moment, can I open to red—the color red, the energy red, the essence red? Thoughts slip away. I am on the sidewalk, walking slowly. There is red in my experience.
in glowing morning
pink dawn– the shiny red
Volkswagen Beetle
A haiku comes to hold my perception, to keep my experience open and rooted in the present moment. I know from studies that poetic language is resonant—it keeps one’s experience open, wholistic, and expansive. Once upon a time, red woke me up, and a haiku captured the present moment.
poinsettias red
cold at neighbor’s front door–
winter morning dawn