Brought and In the Apple Orchard/ 2 poems by Gregory Abels

1.

Brought
to this place
on a wooded rise
by years
spent and gone
Not able to see them
But to look
at the tree
Silent
like a painted presence
And beyond it
to other trees
To other rises
beyond
My body now
rippling with gratitude
/////

2.

In the apple orchard
a very old branch
dry, strong
gnarled, pocked
Perfect
with a four-day beard
of grey-green something
A twisted tribute 
To old age
/////



Gregory Abels is a Zen Master who taught at Still Mind Zendo in Manhattan.  His books of poetry are: Where to Begin (Lightwood Press), Glimpses & Pointings and Never Something Else (Seven Meadows Press).  He enjoyed a 50+ year career as an actor, director and Master Teacher of Acting.  Gregory holds a B.S. in Theatre and Religion from SUNY.  He lives with his wife in Greenwich Village and on a sheep farm in the Hudson Valley.

Gregory Abels is a frequent contributor to Lightwood. His poems and articles can be read here. Scroll to our Search Button and insert his name.