Before and After

(all has now been restored and Buddha is looking serene once again, despite the rain)

Buddha is oblivious to
the cascade of leaf fall from the birch
stirred by November rustles

leaves weep in showers of ochre tumble
non stop as they settle on
rain puddled garden table top

seated in lotus position
he is perfectly peaceful
serene and calm amid summer lost

eyes closed in meditation
unaware of his cooler surroundings
or incoming danger

from a curious feline
whose playful claws and paws are out
with an accurately aimed clout

minutes before all was harmony
and balance
it’s not any more

Reviews

[Thomas W Case]

I love the imagery. Vivid and sharp. Powerful writing, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Thomas. I appreciate the read and your thoughts. Have a good Wednesday.

Chris

[Joss Jeffrey]

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[Joss Jeffrey]

As a professional book promoter, I specialize in helping
authors like you to increase their visibility and grow their readership. I’ve worked with several authors and successfully increased their book sales and exposure on platforms like inkitt, wattpad, webnovel, Amazon and other platforms. You can reach out. Whatsapp:[phone] or on my new Instagram account: empire_world2 and Discord: yaroslava_empire3

[Arundass TP]

Last part of this poem is disturbing. Nicely written

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Arundass, no need to worry, the little Buddha figurine in my garden, was restored very quickly to his lotus position. All is well and our feline is behaving. Thank you for stopping by. Hope all is fine in your world.

Chris

[Arundass TP]

Thank you and welcome . Life is all about happiness and sadness. Have a nice day

[Lorry]

Life is indeed a birch, or indeed a pine or any other thing that sheds its leaves just as we are reaching for another layer and to turn the thermostat up again.
And just like those trees, Buddha just gets on with it as we all run around freaking out that there's a bit of a nip in the air and begin our annual pilgrimage to denial-ville, planning exotic holidays to escape to or turning our houses into greenhouses as we rock about in shorts and bikinis.
Mind you Chris, some of us are so dumb that even living in cold climate isnt enough and we even take stay cations there too.
Can never understand those folk.
Anyway, I'll be back from Edinburgh on Wednesday and back to my usual unreality soon enough! 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Lorry, hope your trip to Edinburgh was fun and not too cold. We have a smattering of snow here this morning. Our dog isn’t at all happy. Life is indeed a birch. That tree is my sentinel lol. Have a good Wednesday and thank you for your visit.

Chris

[Lorry]

Its buddy freezing! Just driving back now (Katie at the wheel) but as of yet haven't seen any snow. So much for the warnings today.... oops I mean, never mind. Forget i said that or we'll run into a snowplough! 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased to hear Katie is doing the driving while you are typing 😂. Wrap up warm. The heating went off two hours ago and I have got three layers on. Looking like Michelin woman.:)

[Lorry]

Just got back and not a speck of snow in site the whole way back. Pfft! 😀

[Soren]

I am sure that Buddha although annoyed with the disruption of his meditation would applaud the curiosity of the cat and by nature of his own teaching could not allow annoyance to turn to anger. A fun read Chris and a bit of a life lesson as well

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Soren for your valued thoughts. The balance was restored pretty quickly and our playful feline found her way back indoors. Pleased you enjoyed the read. Have a lovely day.

Chris

[RomaJ]

I'm sure Buddha adores the playful feline's presence and welcomes it, like a curious, little child. Such a beautiful and serene atmosphere, I can imagine having tea here and just enjoying the peace and the beauty of the garden.
A lovely write.
Roma

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Roma. We have a new terrace area, where there had previously been a caravan. I have had fun turning it into a quiet little haven. It is my space :) A new little table with a mosaic top and two wrought iron chairs. Lots of container plants and the figurine of Buddha adds to the peace and tranquility. The next time I have tea there, I’ll pour one for you.

Chris

[RomaJ]

Aw Chris. Thank you. That's so lovely of you. The view must be so beautiful from that terrace. I miss my sisters just thinking of tea. My sisters live in Vermont, she told me she has been shoveling snow all day. and just misses the island, where we're from. I think I will have some tea now and just imagine I'm in a garden.

[red93]

A lovely scene you evoke here Chris, which really could be anywhere in the World, from the Home Counties to Bangkok. A nice edge of humour as well, with the contrast between the iconic Buddha and the mischievous moggie. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Tony, so pleased you appreciated the humour here. It was amusing to watch and deserved a poem. All is now serene and balanced in that part of my garden. Have a lovely weekend.

Chris

[Amy R]

A very beautiful poem, Buddha is the literal form of peace. You wrote this with such truth, it shows us that we need to be still at times to really live and understand everything cause in chaos, we knows nothing much.

Thanks for sharing.
-Amy

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Amy for your positive review. So pleased you enjoyed this poem. Have a good weekend.
read moreThank you Amy for your positive review. So pleased you enjoyed this poem. Have a good weekend.

Chris

[Amy R]

You're welcome, and thanks have a nice weekend to

[Jansy]

This is beautiful, Chris. It reminds me of my aunt...she’s retired from the Navy now, but when she was stationed in Japan, she bought a bunch of Buddha statues. I can’t remember the names of the two large ones she got, but she gave one to my mom. When I was younger, it used to freak me out a bit, but she always said it’s meant to bring peace to the home and keep away negative energy. Reading your poem, I have a new appreciation for those statues and the calm they represent. I love how you capture that stillness, even with life stirring around it.
James☆

[Chris Shaw]

Hello James, thank you for sharing your aunt with me. Your aunt is a wise woman. The Buddha figurine does bring a sense of peace and calm into my garden. I very much like the thought of it warding off all negative energy and bringing balance into the surroundings. It reminds me too that meditation is a powerful tool in the chaotic world we find ourselves living in. My garden is a little corner of perfect in an imperfect world. I really appreciate your share here. Means a lot.

Chris

[Jansy]

The only time I have actually felt like I was meditating is when I'm playing an online game. But I shall try that. Thank you, Chris

[Chris Shaw]

Take time out and clear your mind of everything. Even five minutes in a day helps. Your meditation on line, seems like hard work James :)) Great though to have hobbies you can get lost in.