Poem: Morning Star

Morning Star

Lots of spiky balls on the sidewalk
under Sweetgum trees and I wonder
what's the name of those weapons used
in combats between medieval knights

to smash, crush, and kill their enemies—
it's not the "mace" but the "morning star".
Let's not invoke war god Mars for help
but the love goddess Venus instead

for it was the "Morning Star" Buddha
saw first after his enlightenment
under the Bodhi Tree— awakened
to his oneness with the whole cosmos.

We have no enemy out there to kill
but the ego within us to slain—
that's why Buddha said "it's easier
to conquer a thousand armies than

to conquer oneself"— Let us begin
the inner work— that even weapons
of war lead us to the Blessed One's
awakening seeing the "Morning Star".

— Peter Y. Chou
Mountain View, 7-24-2020

Spiky balls on sidewalk

Spiky balls on Sweetgum tree

Morning star weapon

Buddha seeing Morning Star