Things are always in transition

A found poem

Before the Norway maples had to come down — Nov 2007

Things are always in transition, 
if we could only 
                         realize it. 

Nothing ever sums 
                        itself 
                        up
in the way that 
we like to dream about. 

         The off-center, 
                 in-between 
                         state is an 
ideal situation, a 
          situation in
                          which
we don’t get caught 
and we can open our hearts 
and minds 
                    beyond limit. 

It’s a very 
     tender, 
       nonaggressive, 
         open-ended 
state of affairs. 

To stay with that   shakiness—

to stay with 
             a broken heart, with 
             a rumbling stomach, with 
             the feeling of hopelessness and 
             wanting to get revenge—

that is the path of *true awakening.* 

Sticking with that 
               uncertainty, getting the 
                    knack of relaxing in the 
       midst of chaos, 
learning not to 
                         panic 

— this is the spiritual path.

---

Poem 12 of 31 in the series “The Liminal Season.”

NOTE: The text of today’s poem is a “found poem” — the full text is attributed to buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, from her seminal book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone. I also recommend you own a hard/paper copy, because, if you are like me, you will probably end up marking in it and dog-earing many pages.

Today’s word was “transition,” given to me by my longtime friend, a gifted cook and writer, Robyn. The word has many meanings, but no matter who we are, change is a constant, and transitions are always happening.

What transitions are you facing?