Book Review

Rain, Screened Backporch
by Nat Shazi
Published by www.lulu.com, as printed book and eBook.

Expanding our minds, Nat Shazi takes us on a fantastic journey through the realms of metaphysics, shamanism, and even ordinary experience, ending the book with an account of a sweat lodge ceremony at the Lakota tribe. The book also includes some original and ancient Chinese stories including children's stories. A wonderful treat that drips goodness through the whole series of poems, like a luscious ice cream topping on a hot summer day, are the poet's paintings, almost all in color. There is a generous helping—approximately 15 paintings and 5 photos (the book is 137 pp).

The poems are very lyrical and evocative. They are like windows that allow us to get closer to the experiences described in the book. In non-dualism there is no creation, only the discriminating mind that distinguishes between mine and not mine, or any subject-object relation. Narrative poems include two literal and figurative journey poems, those of the peacock and the whale (in "Sky's Night"), toward the Sun, in soaring language.

There is a basic sequence to the book. It moves from non-dualism and the metaphysical, to the realms of nature and human beings, and finally to the shamanistic realms of transformation—the inner and outer levels of people—and as they affect others. Aspects of the poet's own work as brakeman on a train, and maintaining a furnace at a power plant are included.

Each poem is complete unto itself, but is also a gateway, between a past and a future moment, a moment of the every day, which is an opportunity to practice No-Mind, Non-Dualistic approach to experience.

Let's move through the text, to convey a sense of how the poet tells his stories. For instance, fairly early in the book, after several poems on non-dualism, we have the Lantern Poem in the Oregon cabin, "'Sikan Taza' Themeless Meditation" which includes the line

The 'One Lamp'.
which is yet
Limitless in the
Lighting of other lamps.
an Alter -Light.
Always burning.
Influence of
One disciple,
may be limitless
& inexhaustible.

The next two poems, the practice described is

'Wu -Nien';
"Presents of the
Action of
No-thought."
"No-mind, never matter

(Ed.'s note: Actually similar to David Hume, in Western philosophy, who looks to the senses as the source of knowledge, a school of thought called empiricism.)

Then the poet, undoubtedly with his own work experience in mind, imagines, several poems later, the Buddha cleaning up the sky, and keeping things orderly. In a similar way, he observes in the following poem, "Legend of the Yawning Buddha," that it is not Satori, but continued vigilance at keeping one's mind clear that is key.

In the next poem, as he drives to work, the poet momentarily mistakes the business sign as the moon, hence the title, "Burger King Moon Deception in the Night Sky." The sign seems like the moon which stimulates thoughts of alchemical transformation, the burning off of dross of consciousness, which takes the poet right to his job of maintaining the boiler at the power plant.

Several poems along, is the Straw lady of the garden poem. "She is a scarecrow whose photograph is shown." But in the poet's eye the scarecrow is also its own idealized form of the spirit of the grace, "Grace," one of my favorites in its simplicity and beauty, with wonderful photographs. Then, in the following poem, "Returning, Another Sea Shore," the poet returns to the sea shore as an old man. He does't know if he'll be remembered by the place itself. This is the ending:

…
sound of ocean and waves the same.
light, same.
turning back,
my footprints in the sand.
now I'm remembered, the
tide takes me back to sea.
now a hawk in the sky,
recognizes me and
I am welcomed.

There is wit and pithiness too, as in "Desire and Attachment Stolen." A Buddhist sense of lack of attachment is, in effect, promoted by government which garnishes the poet's already minimal wage.

Presented to you now
in a Conscripted way.
No-choice left
but to give it up….
….
Being forced
to see-through
your attachments.
'Purse-string', view.
Desires having
become obvious,
stepping back.
The falling away
of desire.
An obliviousness
now presenting itself.
Time distancing
itself from an
attachment no
longer held.

And another example of the poet's wit and insight is his response to his spiritual guide discussing breaking through the karma of past lives and choosing objects of desire to reflect upon.

"Take an object you want."
Examples; bird's nest, representing
Love of Nature.
Monetary Bonds, wealth.
Books, knowledge.
Watch, longevity & age.
I look, and think.
"What if I want to take
'My willingness'"? "
Your will, done!"

The story telling and poems from everyday experience show that it is our discriminating mind that keeps us from seeing things as they are, as non-dual in their natural state. We just need to remain open to this possibility, perceiving things with an open mind, rather than with a closed one, so to speak.

This insight spreads to the imagination as well. Writing as Wang Shang Shazi, the poet writes about ghosts and bi-location, and revenge, among other things. The book ends with a personal account of a Lakota sweat lodge ceremony.

Rain, Screened Backporch is available on Lulu.com in a low price eBook format, and will also have a lower priced print edition, below the current price. Readers could visit www.lulu.com and then search for Nat Shazi, or follow this link http://www.lulu.com/content/2134370.

Reviewed by Paul Dolinsky
editor@thegoldenlantern.com