Cold Mountain

Open handed, I tried to live
Among all people, ideas aloft
Open handed, I read the books
I learned the histories, I sang the songs

Until mountains bellowed
That my friends are flawed
And not to forget sorrow
And all the other gods
And that my mouth was dirty
And that my ears were clogged
And of course that I'm flawed also
And then it stopped

Open handed-ness had me in its grasp
Running around frantically
Trying to show off my open hands

"Hope, unhand me!" I finally yelped
"Let me dwell on bad news
Let me wallow in it"

So came long nights and hunkering down
And there stood Cold Mountain
With its trickling sound

When I reached the summit I made no camp
But I unrolled my sleeping bag in the stream
And let the cold water pour in my ears