In Response to Saigyo: A Prayer

 “let me not spend my life 

                lamenting the world’s sorrows

for above

in the wide sky

the moon shines pure.” Saigyo

Flying is such a joyful thing,

I can’t do it when I’m sad, or angry,

or even when I’m asleep

and don’t feel anything at all.

Which is most of the time really.

You need joy in order to fly.

So please “let me not spend my life

lamenting the world’s sorrows

because being able to fly is such a rare

and beautiful thing.

I’m afraid by lamenting, 

I wouldn’t be able to recognize joy 

when it found me,

and I would miss that terribly.

So please, let me be joyful

let me fly to that beautiful, pure moon

Shining in that vast, wide sky.

Please, let me fly.

—Paul Causey