The beginning of each New Year is a perfect time for reflection and looking forward, whether or not we’ve made a New Year’s vow, so that we might return to the present moment with gratitude and peace. Here are a few short poems to contemplate and carry with us as we breathe each breath and take each step into 2014.

Day after day,7zP2EpojS-hShBkt_cec80BBsAEyQdUfxqPqHLswikk
Day by day,
Dust of mind collects:
Be sure to wash it away
And find your original Self.
Zen Saying

The fragrance of blossoms soon passes;
the ripeness of fruit is gone in a twinkling;
Our time in this world is so short,
better to avoid regret:
Miss no opportunity to savor the ineffable.
Loy Ching-Yuen

If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth:
Listen to the secret sound, the real sound, which is inside you.
Kabir

As fish dart through the water, they are forgetful of the water; as birds fly on the breeze, they are not conscious that there is a breeze. Discern this, and you can transcend the burden of things and enjoy natural potential.
Huanchu Daoren