George Marsh

Sesshin in May

Monastery bells –
the incense the candles
the woodblocks the gong

light like mist
on the quarrytile floor
where a lacewing grooms

from far below, the rise in pitch
of a big kettle filling –
and in the stillness, a tickle

as into my ear creeps a guest
some little thing with a tread
as delicate as bliss

George Marsh

"Sesshin in May" is from Salting the Air by George Marsh, (Waning Moon Press, UK, 1997).

Note: A sesshin is a meditation retreat.

First posted on April 17, 2011 2:34 PM