So one day I'm out for a walk. I have Dogen's Shobogenzo under my arm. It was a little heavy so I took out a some pages. I decided to sit down under a grand earthly tree and do some reading. I was really into the book when a rabbit came along and started sniffing my feet. It took me a little while to notice him there. I'd seen rabbits before, some are brown, white, fat, skinny. Some have pink and grey noses, but for some reason I just can't get enough of them. Well, this little guy was fairly close, so I decided to grab him. I grabbed this rabbit, quite haphazardly and tried to hold him in my arms. He didn't like that. He was kicking and wailing about. His ears were turned back and he started to bite my fingers. He made some kind of gutteral sound. Never heard that before. He was squirming and kicking at my face. My hands became bloody and I could feel the numbness starting to creep in. Spring is just beginning so the weather is still quite chilly. My hands started to bite with cold and pain, but for some reason, I wouldn't let this rabbit go. Eventually the pain got so great I released my grasp. As soon as I did that the rabbit twisted out of my hands pushing against them and fell to the ground with a great start. Within an instant he was gone. I wiped my hands and went home.

...

Now, when I return to that tree to read, I will see rabbits come and go. Some sniff my feet, some I even pet. Now and then I might try to grab one and keep it forever, but that always ends with pain. So I invite them over, perhaps play with them for a while, but eventually they go.

Sometimes I see bears and deer. And oh yes the fox. It is quite enjoyable sitting here under this tree with this copy of the Shobogenzo which seems to lose pages here and there. Where do they go? Watching the bears and foxes, rabbits, and deer. Watching them come and go. Inviting them over for a nibble, a snuggle, a stroke, but ...eventually...they go...

And I go about my reading losing pages here and there.

G,W