February 08th, 2026

Torn and tattered is this life.
Food? Wild vegetables off the trail.
The shrubs and bushes advance toward my hut.
Often the moon and I sit together all night,
And more than once I have lost myself among
The wild flowers,
Forgetting to return home.
No wonder I left the community life:
How could such a crazy monk live in a temple?

Ryokan Taigu (1758-1831)