Morning Suizen
Boundless, it sips direction in the way of all music,
tonguing each note for its salt.
We call this ecstasy. Or peace.
Follow, and they still escape, always beyond
our outstretched fingers.
Exhale slowly. What do you know?
That long tunnel, ribbed in silence.
The scent of burning cedar.
Days framed in darkness and birdsong.
* * *
Note: Suizen is the practice of playing the shakuhachi, the traditional Japanese bamboo flute, as a means of attaining self-realization.
“Morning Suizen” first appeared on Nine Muses Poetry. Many thanks to editor Annest Gwilym for taking this piece.
O at the Edges 
We all have Puhuà, Wumen, and Hotto Kokushi to thank for our suizen practices. Without them, we’d all probably be suizen-less! (Nice poem too).
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My new circumstances aren’t ideal for blowing on the shakuhachi early in the morning, but perhaps I’ll be able to adapt. Or maybe my neighbors will. Ha!
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It is a legitimate part of suizen to spend any/all time meditating on silence and its relationship with sound/music. Action #10 especially (in the stages of suizen) can be done without an actual flute… any sound can be what you follow back into your consciousness.
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I suppose that will have to be my practice.
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Everything is a ‘practice’ with the right attitude: a leaf, a baby crying on a plane, a blank piece of paper, one’s response to their arthritis, the monthly bills… all things are opportunities for ascent. In your case, the difficulty or inability to practice suizen can be a powerful tool for introspection on desire, frustration, boredom, etc. Suizen is so good, even its opposite can be it!
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You’ve described my writing practice.
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