Phenomenology Poem by RIC BASTASA

there is more happiness
to seeing a flower
bloom
on its stem


rather than
pick it
and put
it in a
vase

there is more
to a bird
that flies in the air
than keeping
it in the
comfort of your
hands

there is more
to watching the
world go by
and let
your eyes see
the passing
of each moment
rather
than freezing
the moment
either
in mourning
or even
in bliss

there is more to seeing
than thinking
and dissecting
why things happen
why they ought
not to happen

there is more to this spectator
who marvels
at the beauty of the full moon
and the peace
seen in the silvery river
rather than the
analyzing why the moon is full
and why the river
must be silvery

there is more to life
sitting down than standing and running
and conquering and owning

there is more
to the lotus rather than the fish
and the bird and the cow and the snake
or the spaceship
or the weapons of war
that you use
to control this world

there is more to peace
than bickering
and worry and painstaking
concerns

there is more to wonder
and wander
rather than speculating and
systematizing

there is more to nothing
than having everything
that your hands
cannot hold

see the seepage and the spill
there is really nothing much
to hold to keep and to cherish

let go then
the sands of our wishes and dreams