John Rhodes emphasizes the cliche' of ordinary life as the place that the enlightened person dwells as in the Zen Saying, "Before Enlightenment, "Chopping Wood Carrying Water. After Enlightenment Chopping Wood Carrying Water." "He keeps one foot in this world and one foot in the other world", as Meher Baba said. John uses the pun and the cliche' in his poems as does the Zen Master use his stick to whack the unattentive mind of the beginner meditator awake to the common beauty and enlightenment all him.

A Women’s Scone Why does the artist have to eat the scone? It seems to be a collection of Lazarus’s crumbs and bones. The criminal eats off the Judge’s table, but he won’t give his soul to that judge by swearing on the Bible. He couldn’t even do it, even if he was able. The judge can bumble but the criminal couldn’t be humble. Digesting mistakes in the form of crumbs must be done, even when one can’t reconcile suffering with fun. Man’s genes perhaps carry sins but I wonder why only those who can’t speak are struck dumb. The terrorist will attack Rome, but why does he always have a stone to cook…why does contriteness never go to the bone? The Baker of scones feeds you with his blandness, but I am not the grandest because I eat that which I detest. A woman might scorn me, but perhaps my mother still loves me because I have been many times reborn, but while she gives me her love, society still refuses to recognize me, nor has society been, about shameless criminals forewarned. Why is this town war-torn? Why are the pacifists forlorn?

John Rhodes is a mystic poet/novelist who has written 3 poetry books and one novel. They are: "Spirits of Bondage and Inherent Transcendence" "Little Bird Told Me" Mystic Babylon Revisited" "Letters to Esmeralda" John also runs a nationally syndicated PEG Poetry TV Show taped in San Francisco, which he cohosts with Asian poet Clara Hsu. It is called the San Francisco Open Mic Poetry Podcast TV Show. It has run monthly on Public Access TV for about 3 years from about the time of the publishing of this book, "Letters to Esmeralda". As the title indicates this book is dedicated to the Victor Hugo character in "The Hunchback of Notredame", Esmeralda. You can find out more about John Rhodes by visiting: http://rhodespoetry.com, or if you just want the TV Show visit: http://blip.tv/sanfranciscopoetry. John Rhodes is also a videographer/potter/painter/artist in general.