LET IT BE
Let it be,
let me be,
let things be,
Let the creation be.
A delicate hummingbird moth intrusively
hovered in the middle of sacred conversations, saying
“Hello, look at me.” Followed by a tiny beetle softly landing on the sleeve,
“Hi, I am here as well.”
The café host gingerly and shyly walks by to hand over this morning’s dainty
light blue egg to a silky fowl, offering to eat the egg fresh. I replied trustingly, “Sure.” After poking holes on either side of the egg,
I, like a wild man, sucked and ingested a creamy would-be life-to-become,
giving me extra life.
A friendly host’s cat forces his way into the conversations, slithering his tail against our legs, again inviting us to see and be aware of his presence. Not to be outclassed,
the wind cascades down four fall foliage on the table,
matching the foursome huddle.
Then we look far and wide to take in the great blue November sky,
scattered clouds as if someone from above painted for us to wow us and be aware.
To invite us ever tenderly
“I am here.”
I can,
finally, let everything be
because I AM WHO I AM is here,
everywhere.
The above poem is dedicated to our friends from Singapore, Linda and Malcolm, who said yes to my impromptu invitation when my wife and I were in Singapore two months ago. Malcolm, a family doctor, bore witness to a caring and loving family doctor when he was young and told himself he would one day be a family doctor to help others. He responded with a hearty yes as soon as I invited him and his wife, Linda. Shocked by her husband’s response who is normally very careful about planning, meticulously one at that, and far from being spontaneous, Linda asked her husband, “Are you sure?” multiple times to make sure. Malcolm reassured her just as many times. When tracing our conversation back to when Malcolm said yes, he does not remember why or how he had said yes.
Two months later, they showed up in Korea, eager and excited. Linda graduated from CenterQuest Asia School of Spiritual Direction in April. She is also a member of the inaugural CenterQuest Asia Poet Society. The truth is that we knew right away that we were kindred spirits when we first met in January 2023 during the Opening Residency of CQ Asia School.
The immediate context for the above poem took place as we sat at the outdoor table and shared in my fav café, Sinhari1955, near our Airbnb. The divine descended with a feathery flair of heaven, allowing the deep to meet the deep. The seductive spell of safety and freedom prodded and invited us to go deep. Bordering distracted intrusion, a rare hummingbird moth, the ever-generous and kind café host, an easygoing cat, a brave beetle, and the many-hued leaves joined the conversation seamlessly, making a gentle and unforgettable impression. Soon, we all realized that they were not distractions, but gifts. We marveled at the gifts, happily followed along the gift trails with our conversations, and effortlessly looped back to our intimate sharing.
Then, I excused myself from the conversation for about 12 minutes. I felt I needed or had to capture what I was processing into a raw poem. In just a couple of days, they will fly back to Singapore. Some repeated keywords they have captured in their hearts are hope, healing, possibilities, and consciousness. Aided by great food, spectacular nature and its colors that change by the hour, and interspersed silence in walks and car rides, we crossed the frontier threshold of our interiority and blurred the lines between what is me and others and otherness.