A new volume of poetry will be released in the very near future by Douglas Thornton. This volume will include all original poems published and unpublished from the years 2016-2022. Here is the description from the back of the book: 'Before the red sunrise Could catch my steps Upon the dew, Across the quiet hills They came, where sun Is last to leave And fog is first to move, And a solemn, Inward marching Awaits the moon....' A world perceived in change, a moment hidden in darkness, silent companions to our inward movements.... Who are the uninitiated? Where do they come from? The poems that make up this volume hold a sign of our connection to phenomena, entering into a space where chaos becomes recognition, where attention finds purpose, and ancient ritual an understanding of the present. The more elegantly described, the more truthful feeling becomes; the more truthfully conveyed, the more closely we approach this world and come face to face with ourselves.
The House-Builder The great gulfs of time that are swallowed up before we have realized it, rather than giving means, give off discouragement. It is disheartening to know too much, foolish to know too little, and when we try to become a part of something, the motivation is at best superficial. There is a ruler that has been put in place, who tells us what to do for better or worse; it takes advantage of our most pleasant stupors, or calms us in arduous fires. Unrestrained in passion or intellect, it abides by the masses, by the greatest number. The Buddha saw this and said: For many lives I have wandered Looking for, but not finding, The house-builder Who caused my suffering. But now you are seen And you shall build no more. Your rafters are dislodged And the ridge-pole is broken. All craving is ended; My heart is one with the unmade. Dhammapada 153-154 Douglas Thornton