“Even if you feel there are many things in your life that are imperfect,
if you look at them in a compassionate way,
you discover that imperfection,
in and of itself,
is beautiful and has meaning.” Haemin Sunim
Black zig- zags
climb and coil
fall and twist
connect heaven and earth.
The arch, like a Japanese torii,
invites me
from Philadelphia International Airport
to the sky beyond.
In the colored wavy lines
I see and sense
a migraine coming on.
From the negative space Conrad speaks,
undisturbed by my headache
and rushing to make my flight.
He is content
to point out the playful irregularities
in the geometry.
My eyes do not rest
anywhere on the arch.
They look with compassion
on his imperfect figure
sheltered in the empty space.
