Battle Ready, a Poem by Jason Deutsch

Courtesy of Birmingham Museums

We could be still

and yet we wade into crisis,

for who can lie by the shore of paradise

more than a day?

We could be at peace

and yet we fashion battles,

for who can gaze in silence at the sun

and be content for long?

We could listen to the ocean

and yet we brandish our swords,

for we must fight if only to rekindle the hope

that there is more to the passing of the years

than drops of water evaporating into the sky.

It does not seem

that human beingsare able

just to be.

No, we are more like machines,

and machines are expected

to do something.

---

Jason Deutsch lives in Sydney, Australia and writes at the crossroads of contemplative practice, philosophy and the arts. He has been published in Still Point Arts Quarterly and Beshara Magazine, and shares his reflections on deeper questions of life at soulfulthoughts.blog/. He has practised meditation for many years, and loves swimming in the ocean and singing at open mic nights.