Living Zen Life

Where one lives matters.
Some old Japanese Chinese monks
found monastic life a tedious waste
set out for solitary mountains
Zen coming naturally
contorted rock forms 
gnarled pines wind twisted.

Where I live matters.
Leaving opulent confines behind
where what one possesses
matters more than what possesses one.
I was not at home
could not ever have been home.
Most lives are little like mine.

I am not better.
I've lived for years with my faults
suffered from my indiscretions
felt remorse without relief.
Zen cannot absolve my past
cannot remove what lies before me.
Sitting, I can find my way.

Here I am.
No longer with life partner
abandoning a circle of friends.
Home matters. 
Staying where I am not home
is living as stranger
in a strange unforgiving land.