Please Treasure Yourself
PLEASE TREASURE YOURSELF
$15
Please Treasure Yourself is a collection of ninety cinquains inspired by a ninety-day period of sitting meditation led by the New York Zen Center (NYZC) for Contemplative Care during the summer of 2023. The poems are five-line distillations of daily reading material—wisdom teachings by Japanese Zen priest Kōshō Uchiyama—that accompanied this three-month period of committed meditation practice. Readers who wish to begin or deepen their practices of meditation and mindful living, along with those who love poetry, will appreciate and enjoy these carefully crafted poems. All proceeds from sales will be donated to NYZC.
To purchase a copy of Please Treasure Yourself, please contact Susan directly.
SAMPLE WORKS
Inhale Exhale
Since you
have a body,
why hold your breath? If a bird
did that, it would fall
from the sky.
Identity Crisis
O wardrobe
of presentations,
how much time is squandered
searching for just the right
outfit.
The Cat
Walks over me
while I meditate.
I’m no more important than
a basket of unfolded
laundry.
And So It Goes
Today
began in hell.
Midday was heavenly.
Tonight, it’s feeling quite toasty
again.
Unexpected Teacher
Dear rose,
be my sensei.
Your stem, your bud, all
your many petals, even your
sharp thorns.