I saw seven beautiful things today
That's three fewer than yesterday and some way off my personal best of 22
Edinburgh is a beautiful city but it is not as beautiful as Cape Town
And when I was in Cape Town a woman on the bus told me that it was not as beautiful as Nelson, New Zealand
I used to tell my girlfriend that she was he most beautiful woman in the world
But I have said that to other women since
And I think Nicole Kidman would look different in person
I once stood, looking at Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies
I asked a woman - who was not the same woman as in Cape Town - if
She had ever seen anything more beautiful
She replied that she had, somewhere in Switzerland
I have a friend called Nim and she's always calling me beautiful
But she says that to everyone so I'm not sure where I stand on her list

So, you want to know those seven things?

• Yellow ducks on my shower curtain
• A photograph of my old flatmate Rich grinning on N. Berwick beach
• Lamposts outside William McEwan Hall
• A pair of old fashioned scales on the kitchen shelf
• Ras Babi
• A girl hitting herself on the head with her glow-in-the-dark poi
• A really nicely weighted wok

I saw seven beautiful things today
That's three fewer than yesterday and some way off my personal best of 22
Edinburgh is a beautiful city but it is not as beautiful as Cape Town
And when I was in Cape Town a woman on the bus told me that it was not as beautiful as Nelson, New Zealand
I used to tell my girlfriend that she was he most beautiful woman in the world
But I have said that to other women since
And I think Nicole Kidman would look different in person
I once stood, looking at Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies
I asked a woman - who was not the same woman as in Cape Town - if
She had ever seen anything more beautiful
She replied that she had, somewhere in Switzerland
I have a friend called Nim and she's always calling me beautiful
But she says that to everyone so I'm not sure where I stand on her list

So, you want to know those seven things?

• Yellow ducks on my shower curtain
• A photograph of my old flatmate Rich grinning on N. Berwick beach
• Lamposts outside William McEwan Hall
• A pair of old fashioned scales on the kitchen shelf
• Ras Babi
• A girl hitting herself on the head with her glow-in-the-dark poi
• A really nicely weighted wok

Babylon & Beauty

It's hard to have thoughts on beauty, since beauty seems to be that thing which keeps us from thinking altogether,
Or rather, it captures,devours and exploits us in our thoughtlessness
And this is Babylon
She is dancing and parading, and you welcome her intrusions,
Flattered by her confidence that you're becoming freer of confusion
You have striven for your sunsets and she has traced your every step,
Only to alter to more convincing desires and concepts when the horizon looks alarmingly out of grip
But now you're getting wise to her cajoling and frustrating,
You see how her dance falters when you start to stop you're thinking,
Now over the night she is walking without speaking
By the midnight pool where she will lay you without loving,
You're left nake,d disappointed and undone
And you'll reflect that she was just an idea,
And it was your idea all along.

Babylon & Beauty

It's hard to have thoughts on beauty, since beauty seems to be that thing which keeps us from thinking altogether,
Or rather, it captures,devours and exploits us in our thoughtlessness
And this is Babylon
She is dancing and parading, and you welcome her intrusions,
Flattered by her confidence that you're becoming freer of confusion
You have striven for your sunsets and she has traced your every step,
Only to alter to more convincing desires and concepts when the horizon looks alarmingly out of grip
But now you're getting wise to her cajoling and frustrating,
You see how her dance falters when you start to stop you're thinking,
Now over the night she is walking without speaking
By the midnight pool where she will lay you without loving,
You're left nake,d disappointed and undone
And you'll reflect that she was just an idea,
And it was your idea all along.

It's all falling into place

A man wondered into Friday evening's expectation
It had the feeling of a night he would never forget
It was to be a night of seven teachers
The first took on a studious role
She listened to what he had to say
- Words of wisdom you could hardly imagine! -
But politely placed each pearl aside - her frustrations were beyond such talk at this time
"Come back when I'm ready" she seemed to say

The second was attentive, as she is to all things
But least of all to her self
She oozes power and gentleness
But she cannot see the beauty around her is all of her own making
She beats around the bush

On Cockburn St the third stopped him - huge hug, jangling smile
"I've been thinking about you" she said
Pointing at her eyes then laughing at herself
"But not seeing, thinking."
She giggled down the hill

The fourth was a dustbin bag that tripped him
As he followed a sudden whim to walk backwards to look at the lights, the shops,
The sky settling into night

Outside a South Bridge takeaway sat the fifth
- comatose, curry and chips down her front -
Breathing, silent
"She'll be fine," he said "It's not puke and she's just sleeping"
Inwardly: guesing how he could be so sure

The sixth ignored him then, upon recognition, backed away giggling
"You're very powerful today" she said
"I saw you half way down the Royal Mile.
You were wearing a white woolen jumper with brown on the sleeves."
They kissed, four times, through the conversation.
"You're becoming the man in the Forest." she said "With a river, a wife and two children."
He wondered if the wife might be her and smiled at how unsurprising she had become to him

The seventh sat -reflecting on the short stroll of these lessons
Who had been seen?
Who had been thought of?
Once he had scratched and clawed for this kind of attention
But now he could not be sure that there was a him that this was happening to
Or if there was, he would not be around much longer for him to enjoy

But still there was wisdom in all of it
So why should he not speak it?
And so he began:
"There is not one perfect path our perfect selves are walking
There is only you, NOW,
Perfect and wonderful.
See! there is no catching up to be done
Enjoy your truth
Love ALL your teachers
And make sure you see me for a dance later."

It's all falling into place

A man wondered into Friday evening's expectation
It had the feeling of a night he would never forget
It was to be a night of seven teachers
The first took on a studious role
She listened to what he had to say
- Words of wisdom you could hardly imagine! -
But politely placed each pearl aside - her frustrations were beyond such talk at this time
"Come back when I'm ready" she seemed to say

The second was attentive, as she is to all things
But least of all to her self
She oozes power and gentleness
But she cannot see the beauty around her is all of her own making
She beats around the bush

On Cockburn St the third stopped him - huge hug, jangling smile
"I've been thinking about you" she said
Pointing at her eyes then laughing at herself
"But not seeing, thinking."
She giggled down the hill

The fourth was a dustbin bag that tripped him
As he followed a sudden whim to walk backwards to look at the lights, the shops,
The sky settling into night

Outside a South Bridge takeaway sat the fifth
- comatose, curry and chips down her front -
Breathing, silent
"She'll be fine," he said "It's not puke and she's just sleeping"
Inwardly: guesing how he could be so sure

The sixth ignored him then, upon recognition, backed away giggling
"You're very powerful today" she said
"I saw you half way down the Royal Mile.
You were wearing a white woolen jumper with brown on the sleeves."
They kissed, four times, through the conversation.
"You're becoming the man in the Forest." she said "With a river, a wife and two children."
He wondered if the wife might be her and smiled at how unsurprising she had become to him

The seventh sat -reflecting on the short stroll of these lessons
Who had been seen?
Who had been thought of?
Once he had scratched and clawed for this kind of attention
But now he could not be sure that there was a him that this was happening to
Or if there was, he would not be around much longer for him to enjoy

But still there was wisdom in all of it
So why should he not speak it?
And so he began:
"There is not one perfect path our perfect selves are walking
There is only you, NOW,
Perfect and wonderful.
See! there is no catching up to be done
Enjoy your truth
Love ALL your teachers
And make sure you see me for a dance later."