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    Zen is Now
    Zen is Now
    Zen is Now
    Ebook201 pages1 hour

    Zen is Now

    By Daniel Canada

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    About this ebook

    Zen is Now is a compilation of nearly 30 years of my poetry. It is the product of my personal, philosophical ruminations of this experience called life, as well as my contemplation of the future with the view to attaining that coveted state of mind.

    Each poem reflects my inner voice in a variety of contrasting demeanors. Some are light and jovial. Others are dark and foreboding. There are even a few deeper, metaphysical reflections. In all, I come to realize there are many disparate ways I have made my voice heard over the years. Within these pages I touch upon matters which are close to the heart; such things as love, the pain of loss, the sort of things which make you reflect deeply upon the meaning of life and its hidden influences.

    Lastly, I believe you will discover Zen is Now to be a rare odyssey into the inner workings of my mind. It is my wish to take you into some of my more profound, esoteric ruminations about life and the highs and lows of everyday living in general. I hope you will also find it to be a celebration of the creative forces which shape our daily world in this grand experiment we call being.

    It is my wish that this book will prove to be an affirmation that no matter which road we travel in the end we will all meet at the same summit, at that eternal state of Zen.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDaniel Canada
    Release dateSep 26, 2020
    ISBN9781005662769
    Zen is Now
    Author

    Daniel Canada

    Daniel Canada's foray into the wilderness of writing began in his senior year in high school, when he entered into and won the 1982 NBC Award for amateur journalism for New York City, after interviewing NBC's news reporters Marv Albert, Gabe Pressman and Larry Varas.After wandering about in an attempt to find the meaning of life, he found himself strongly entrenched in the New York City poetry scene, reading and performing under the name Obsidian. He also co-hosting two renown open mic poetry venues in New York City, the "Times Square Shout Out" and the "Shout Out at Ottos," from 2007-2010. As a result he and his co-host were the subjects of a documentary of NPR Radio's "This American Life," entitled "Social Engineering," hosted by Ira Glass.Daniel Canada aka Obsidian appeared on Columbia University Radio station WKCR-89.9FM, "Studio A Series," hosted by Anne Cammon Fiero, along with several members of the celebrated "Brownstone Poets." He has also soiled his hands in a little publishing, and has been twice published as a contributing poet in the anthology "Diner with the Muse," and “The Venetian Hour,” edited by Evie Ivy and sold at St. Marks Bookstore.Years earlier he had spent a decade researching the ancient Middle East, in a land that was once called Assyria and co-authored the yet-to-be published epic historical fiction novel entitled, "Hegemony."

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      Book preview

      Zen is Now - Daniel Canada

      ZEN IS NOW

      By Daniel Canada aka Obsidian c.2019

      Contents

      Preface

      Poetry of My Dreams

      Alfred

      Cherokee Soul Box [Vol.1]

      Mr. James York Talked

      In 20,000 Years

      The Star Child

      Purple Elephants Conversing with you in Latin

      Grandfather/Me

      I.Q.’s Paradox

      The Hegemenist

      When Poets Re-Attack!

      The Ingrid Syndrome

      Muthafucka

      Sallie

      Iron Sights of Private King

      Tower of Babel

      Tomaso

      Love

      Poughkeepsie

      Misty

      Foundation

      Solis Invictus

      Train Away

      THe nUmbIng fAcTory

      AWOL

      Chastity

      The Grateful Dead

      Iraq a Toast

      Diminished

      Unqualified

      Sand Castles

      The Man Next Door

      Resolved

      Dust Motes

      The Holy Aged

      Ma Vodka Bottle

      Shoe

      Tardive Dyskinesia

      My People

      Ganga

      Bennys

      Life

      Where's Daniel?

      Soulless

      Satan the Devil on a Crucifix

      Scythian Trumpets

      Images of My Mind

      The Ru

      Negatives

      Petite Malle

      8 Days

      The Dreamtime 13

      Chances

      The Ghaib

      Stream of Life

      Thus Spake Satan

      This Heart of Mine

      The Curious

      Of the Matron Sallie

      My Bad

      The Orichalcum Ship

      Beautiful

      The Pilgrims

      The Claw of Satan

      Death by Suicide

      Remembrance

      Tainted Heart

      The Empty

      Peaceful Implosion

      Dervish

      Lectures on the Square

      Theda

      The Wanderer

      Initiation

      Kabala

      Yahweh

      Props

      The Shadow

      Thirsty

      The Awakening

      The 59th Street Bridge

      The Prophet

      The Two Caves

      Shells

      Chi

      Travel

      An Obsidian Quote

      Almost Haikus

      Zen is Now

      Burn

      The Traveler

      A Dedication

      Epilogue

      PREFACE

      Dear Readers,

      As a spoken word artist I’ve been on the New York poetry circuit for nearly 30 years and have read my works, and have published them in several anthologies as well as numerous publications throughout the past.

      However, never have I presented the bulk of my material for you to view in its entirety. Zen is Now is just that. It is a compilation of nearly 30 years of my poetry. Some of which you may not be acquainted with, since they were never read or submitted for publication. There are also a few new verses included as well.

      Here is the story behind the making of Zen is Now.

      After several years of productive writing and reading performances, I suddenly ran into a severe creative drought in that I wasn't able to produce any subsequent material. However, after a span of four years I was suddenly struck with new inspiration and a flood of prose began to flow from my subconscious.

      Unfortunately, this creativity was inspired by a succession of tragic events.

      Shortly after my 50th birthday I was informed by my VA doctor that I had cancer, which required radical surgery and a lot of recovery. Fortunately, today I can say that I am cancer free and plan to be around for a long time. In addition, a year later I lost my precious mother after a protracted and exhausting battle with congestive heart failure. This was coupled with the passing of a close friend and talented editor, who lost her battle with cancer, as well as an unexpected death, by suicide of a very close friend of mine, who took his life at the tender age of 30.

      To say the least, after these episodes I had truly hit rock bottom.

      Oddly, what came out of these adversities was nothing short of a miracle! These soul-shattering events seemed to shock me out of my creative dry spell. What followed was an unexpected opening of a well-spring of new prose. It also caused me to revisit and to rewrite a number of my older works. I felt this was appropriate in order to better express the ideas and emotions I was undergoing at the time they were originally put to pen. I also intended to honor the live of my mother and the lives of so many close friends who traveled a while with me along the bard’s highway, before departing off into the great void.

      In all, Zen is Now is the product of my personal, philosophical ruminations of this experience called life, as well as my contemplation of the future with the view to attaining such a coveted state of mind.

      In regard to the chosen title, I like to draw attention to the word Zen. It seems whenever one considers this word it conjures up metaphors like inner

      peace, tranquility, as well as a profound sense of well-being. Not surprisingly, this is what I had in mind when choosing the book’s name. I'm certain you will agree that reaching this state and maintaining it is not an easy task, especially when life is beset by so many hardships and a garden-variety of adversities.

      Nevertheless, there always remains hope!

      This is the theme I wish to permeate throughout the body of my work. However, I have to admit there are times when my verses fail to reflect this kind of optimism, and are rather filled with unmitigated anger, frustration, an incongruity of humor and even self-righteous indignation. In spite of this, in the end I believe the central theme of Zen can be found and the premise remains one of resolution.

      Each poem reflects my inner voice in a variety of contrasting demeanors. Some are light and jovial. Others are dark and foreboding. There are even a few deeper, metaphysical reflections. In all, I come to realize there are many disparate ways I have made my voice heard over the years. I’ve also come to understand that the path to enlightenment can be like a Sisyphean journey with various highs and lows along the way.

      What is more, you will discover there is always the element of passion to be found in my work. I believe if you cannot add a little fire to your prose than

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