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As he ages he begins to look
like a Jewish Lincoln—angular,
shy, too long for his clothes,
proclaiming emancipation.
Like Abe he must have been
an ugly duckling once,
before he was a swan.
Now and then, in the slope
of the shoulders, in the
archless feet, or in the modest
cast of the eyes, some of
the young duck nudges
through again, and touches
our own duckling hearts.
But make no mistake—
here indeed is the swan.
It does not sing, but its
inclined head and clean reach
of neck bear a silence
which stops the world.
When we look for him
we see the Dharma,
like seeking smoke
and finding clear water,
or finding gold.
This Dharma likes to eat chocolate
This Dharma has an easy laugh
and is easy to love.
This Dharma is our brother,
and so we return to him,
again and again.
For Joseph—
With gratitude and love,
Eric Kolvig
December 1983