April 2022
Author's Note: Tom Montag has been sharing "Old Monk" poems, and I love them for their simple/profound snippets of wisdom. This past month, I was thinking about the roles that teachers and students play for each other, and suddenly found myself writing "young monk" poems. I shared them with him, and he heartily approved of my appropriation, so here are three poems from the student. The old monk imparts wisdom. The young monk asks questions.
young monk poems
~~ old monks beget young monks young monks become old monks is there no end? the young monk asked ~~ if the old monk climbs a mountain does he become a young monk when he descends? the young monk asked ~~ what becomes of our dreams when they cannot be remembered? what becomes of monks when we are also forgotten? the young monk asked ~~
©2022 j.lewis
Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to say what it is about the poem you like. Writing to the author is what builds the community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -JL