The Punk, The Monk, And The World Poem by Ray Quesada

The Punk, The Monk, And The World

Rating: 4.9


My friends and my family scattered across
the land of America; land of the Lost
there's a shortage of love - a shortage of water
a shortage of food - the temperatures hotter
the strangers i've felt for
have shortage of shelter
a shortage of smiles
-the bodies are piled
These are the bodies the monks have knelt for...

worldwide there's chaos -
a small child, a thief
says 'more they must pay us!
my family's in grief! '

the flaw in this system? it encourages greed-
TV says 'Cash over people! '; 'Wants before needs! '
And the monk in his solitude grips to his prayer beads...
all actions have consequence - there are no private deeds

He says 'I pray for the Peace of all living beings-
forgive the dog that bites - and the bee when it stings...'
'False sense of fulfillment in material things';
'The song is for sings - the Gong is for dings.'
When the Sun rises be grateful for the light that it brings
Everything is Everything
Everything...is Everything

I said,
'Monk, my hearts a dumpster! My soul, a gutter, needs freed!
from the plagues of the world - from the utter poverty!
He said, 'be quiet - sit - drink some tea...'

'To change the whole world you first change your thoughts
-your suffering has tied your mind in quite some tight knots
you may find Enlightenment - and maybe might not...'

We sat and we drank
we thought and we thank
i went in a trance;
i went in the tank
and when i came out, i danced
for my mind had been Blank

I walked away - went back to the world from which i came
Everything was different...yet exactly the same

Cops still beat the innocent blind with their bats
cats still ate mice - and dogs still chased cats
i was on the other side of town, far from my home
i walked into a coffee shop - pure sky now my dome
my cloud-spattered dome under which i will live and then die
so i sat to write tomes, and poems,
and ordered a black coffee and a slice of pie-
thought about existence, smiled, and bowed my head to cry.

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
just wrote this today -first draft - best draft, haha...actually this just took me about 25 minutes to write. i think it's fine the way it is, but i could also make it way better. anywho, I figured I'd go ahead and share it! Enjoy!
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Jerome Moore 12 October 2012

first draft is always best right on! most poetry shared on this site lacks the spirit you throw out into this, lacks the consciousness. its clear in subjective, nothing that meditation couldnt cure. bravo

5 0 Reply
Steven Voltmann 11 November 2012

5 votes before mine gave you a 10, I'd say well deserved dude

3 0 Reply
Guy Lip-more 22 October 2012

Brilliant write Ray, this is the first poem I've read from you, grat poetry.

1 0 Reply
Daniel Einstein 20 October 2012

Nothing much left for me to say, other than for your first draft, it came out perfect, i wouldn't change anything about it. Everything comes together perfectly.10+ great work.

4 0 Reply
Suzanne Melton 13 October 2012

YOUR POEMS SO TOUCH ME, RAY. EVERYONE SAYS SO MUCH, SO MANY FEELINGS, SO MANY THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

3 0 Reply
Joseph Anderson 13 October 2012

A powerful portrayal of this world and it's troubles in 25 minutes -wow! . Guess I am a member of the beat generation-I have been coming back to a world where everything was different, yet exactly the same- a good and telling line

5 0 Reply
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