to the morning ritual step one
gather equipment paper pencil
pen notebook booklet clipboard
step two walk naked striving
to hold yourself vulnerable to
truth and beauty step three
prepare your place of meditation
step four sit straight ever mindful
of posture and comfort or at least
absence of pain step five close
your eyes locate your self in the
soundscape both near and far in
creation nature culture civilization
step six relax your mind empty
step seven experience existential
joy with your creator
James T. Stemmle is an old man, currently living retirement in Riderwood, a hundred acre senior village near Washington DC, with his wife of 58 years. He writes poetry during morning meditations on a bench by a pond with time off to greet passers-by with a cheerful good morning.
