Mind stills itself—calm, spacey, peaceful and dark,
a darkness when eyes close, the stars shine.
Thoughts compress as the diaphragm shifts horizontally,
not vertically—more air and breath compile
inside the lungs until the sun rises outside the mind,
outside the coffeehouse. You want to feel something,
an attraction to a beautiful person, something magnetic,
something positive to enliven yourself—a worker passes
and you look up—feeling that direction,
being mindful with awareness loosens
the capacity to watch without knowing yourself
watching…the breath, the mind…without the ego
in the way arises! Direct and peaceful attention
does resound. Action is the present moment.
“Coffeehouse Meditation” is about a process to reach enlightenment. I’ve come to a point where I see some aspects occurring through me in regard to Zen meditation—satori, meaning there are expanded moments of time where ego disappears and for me has happened by means of watching the mind with a small amount of concentration on the ever-moving air of breath. I find this poem relates to that process.
Bio
Bradley Bates began writing poems at the University of Missouri (BA December 1994, advisor Lynne McMahon), continued further creative writing work at Northern Arizona University (MA May 2001, advisor the late Jim Simmerman) and finished schooling at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon (MFA in Writing June 2007, advisors Madeline DeFrees, Joseph Millar, Sharon Bryan, and the late Marvin Bell).
Five self-published books: “Buddha Copper,” “Two Eyes: To Wander Like a River,” “One to One,” “My Own Voyage” and “Trinity.”
Shanti Weiland 