Preface
Life is full of mystery. We never know whom we’re going to run into. Tomorrow you might run into someone who is going to be a good friend. This was what happened to me. Three years ago, I didn’t know that Tina existed on this planet. She came to my very first meditation retreat in Hong Kong in 2014. Since then, we keep running into each other and have become good friends. I find her a very courageous and compassionate person. She is also a wonderful writer and performer. ?
Tina knows that I love reading poems. She often writes poems and sends them to me. Her poems come from the heart and they express where she is on her life’s journey, along with her insight, love, devotion and other rich human experiences. They have the power to move us and invoke those experiences in us. She wrote them with a deep sincerity that makes each poem precious and personal. Though she’s well read in Buddhist philosophy, her poems are not intellectual at all. She doesn’t use jargons in these poems that describe her relationship with the Buddhist path. I regard her as a modern Zen poet for some reason, whether or not she finds this a compliment.?
This world needs poems as much as it needs flowers and music. It would be much lonelier if these don’t exist. The new poetry book by Tina is a beautiful flower that brings the magic of joy to this world. There is nothing better than to have a poetry book on the night stand. It can be the delicious chocolate you enjoy and share with your friends. If you’re looking for something to put on your night stand, you may like this lovely book that will keep you company and make your heart grow wider.?
Anam Thubten
