Bonsai of Thoughts (Translated)

Bonsai of Thoughts: One Hundred Sixty-Seven

1. Every day I sin.
Every day I pray.
Every day I am forgiven.
Every day I find peace.
2. Some are wise by virtue of position,
some by virtue of pressure.
Under the weight of rank, the force of pressure...
wisdom grows.

3. The king of the streets
with the arrogance of power
snatches away at dusk
all the coins from the blind beggar's plate.

4. Not a single letter
of the holy scriptures
knows the spell to extinguish fire!

5. The book that termites devour—
its reader is a termite too!

6. The stone that hides
in an ocean of sand
is but a grain like the sand itself.

7. The rich man's dog
wags its tail
whenever it sees
a poor traveler!

8. Even a bright red rose
covered in black cloth
...is black!

9. Some spread butter on bread,
others dip bread in butter.

10. The ant's home—
whose fate is bound
not by the ant's labor,
but by the sole of a shoe.

11. Draw back the curtains,
let darkness come.

12. In childhood
to stop someone's tears
the moon comes;
for others...ghosts!

13. While eating stolen food,
if a crow comes to perch at the window,
toss some of the food its way.

14. Pressing their ears to the railway tracks,
the street children
listen for the sound of the future.

15. Why such cold even in spring?
Who has grown old?
Me? Or my heart?

16. Hold me tight!
So tight that even the wind
dare not pass between us!

17. The child keeps kissing
father's portrait.
Mother hides her tears
in the fold of her sari.

18. Shaking with high fever
the man deliriously mutters...
Father, don't catch cold,
put on your sweater!

19. Watching your parents grow old
before your very eyes—
is not misfortune, but fortune.
Many never get the chance to see their parents age!

20. On a hundred-year-old wall clock
time does not change.
The boy who died young a hundred years ago
does not age.
Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *