Tryst Poet: Michelle Beth Cronk

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Michelle Beth Cronk lives in Southern California with her husband and two children. She has recently been published online in Loch Raven Review and elimae.

Studies of a Zen water garden

It seemed the best way
to learn detachment:

for sale at the bookstore was
a miniature Zen water garden,

with every stone in place and
all the colors blended

to capture the brilliant day
at just-the-right angle;

rays extended down to flood
the contained pebbles without pause –

I needed to memorize how
the smoothed edges of each rock

stood in the sun-caught liquid,
fully immersed and rounded,

on top of each other and inside
a curved bowl without being exposed

to the apathy of forgotten edges.

II.

It seemed the way
to detach:

a Zen water garden
at the bookstore,

every stone in place
all the colors blended

to capture brilliant day
at just-the-right angle;

rays extended to flood
pebbles without pause –

I needed to memorize
smoothed edges of rock

in sun-caught liquid,
immersed and rounded,

on each other and inside
a bowl without feeling

apathy of forgotten edges.

III.

The way
to detach:

the bookstore
a water garden

colored stones
blended in place

brilliant day in
worn down angles;

I memorized
smooth rocks

in sun-caught
liquid,

immersed
in a curved
bowl

without edges.

IV.

I memorized
smooth rocks

in sun-caught
liquid,

immersed in
a curved bowl;

at the bookstore
a water garden

stones detached
in brilliant day –

worn angles
without edges.

I memorized smooth rocks
and sun-caught liquid in

a curved bowl at the bookstore;
miniature Zen water garden of

stones detached in brilliance
no one sees –

life without edges.

VI.

Smooth rocks detached
in brilliance no one sees –

blended without edges.

VII.

sun-caught liquid
smooth blue stones
casting shadows

VIII.

liquid
blue stones
shadows