Shoveling Snow With Buddha Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEC FG HICJ KLMNODBP QBPRS PTKSUP VSTWXY ZA2 B2C2D2E2 F2C2G2P| In the usual iconography of the temple or the local Wok | A |
| you would never see him doing such a thing | B |
| tossing the dry snow over a mountain | C |
| of his bare round shoulder | D |
| his hair tied in a knot | E |
| a model of concentration | C |
| - | |
| Sitting is more his speed if that is the word | F |
| for what he does or does not do | G |
| - | |
| Even the season is wrong for him | H |
| In all his manifestations is it not warm or slightly humid | I |
| Is this not implied by his serene expression | C |
| that smile so wide it wraps itself around the waist of the universe | J |
| - | |
| But here we are working our way down the driveway | K |
| one shovelful at a time | L |
| We toss the light powder into the clear air | M |
| We feel the cold mist on our faces | N |
| And with every heave we disappear | O |
| and become lost to each other | D |
| in these sudden clouds of our own making | B |
| these fountain bursts of snow | P |
| - | |
| This is so much better than a sermon in church | Q |
| I say out loud but Buddha keeps on shoveling | B |
| This is the true religion the religion of snow | P |
| and sunlight and winter geese barking in the sky | R |
| I say but he is too busy to hear me | S |
| - | |
| He has thrown himself into shoveling snow | P |
| as if it were the purpose of existence | T |
| as if the sign of a perfect life were a clear driveway | K |
| you could back the car down easily | S |
| and drive off into the vanities of the world | U |
| with a broken heater fan and a song on the radio | P |
| - | |
| All morning long we work side by side | V |
| me with my commentary | S |
| and he inside his generous pocket of silence | T |
| until the hour is nearly noon | W |
| and the snow is piled high all around us | X |
| then I hear him speak | Y |
| - | |
| After this he asks | Z |
| can we go inside and play cards | A2 |
| - | |
| Certainly I reply and I will heat some milk | B2 |
| and bring cups of hot chocolate to the table | C2 |
| while you shuffle the deck | D2 |
| and our boots stand dripping by the door | E2 |
| - | |
| Aaah says the Buddha lifting his eyes | F2 |
| and leaning for a moment on his shovel | C2 |
| before he drives the thin blade again | G2 |
| deep into the glittering white snow | P |
Billy Collins
(1)
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Shoveling Snow With Buddha is a poem by Billy Collins. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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