The Abbey Pond - booklet

The Abbey Pond Dan Colbert

There Is Only One (2:40) The Pond gulps as Frog retreats to her reedsThere is only one… To look for love, or is it merely where sheDan Colbert: Acoustic Guitar, vocals feeds?© 2006 Words and music by Dan Colbert Majestic Heron soars overhead,This is the second song I ever wrote, which Telling Frog she should sow her seedscame to me after watching “One: TheMovie,” in 2005. Only the prelude and instead.coda are recorded here and on track 12;there’s a set of verses that may appear And now it’s gone; it’s slipped away,elsewhere eventually. (Or not.) Elusive as wind through winter trees. Won’t you do something to make it stay? The Abbey Pond (6:21) You see, the understanding brings suchAt the Abbey, there’s a pond that knowsHow to reflect the sky, trees, and feelings ease. that show. What have you for me, Abbey Pond, myShe invites Blue Heron, Croaking Frog and Dear? me Unlike your surface, your meaning’s notTo transform ourselves as if at sea. clear.Heron walks the pond with mindful steps, But if I listen close, perhaps I’ll hear aSearching for clues to secrets she’s kept. sign,And when he finds the key to what he Like a falling leaf, I’ll make it mine. knows to beThe Truth, he flies so free. Colored leaves float on your skin; They can feel where your great depth begins. Autumn change rains down her fruit from above, Revealing Your Infinite Love! Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals, harp. © 2017 Words and music by Dan Colbert

I wrote the lyric at the Trappist Abbey in Chorus:Lafayette, Oregon in November, 2017. I Lay your healing hands upon this body;regularly visit this very special place, where Raise your fervent voice to fill this heart.the surroundings, which include a beautiful Love and compassion are the ties thatsmall pond, are ideal for contemplation. Iwas sitting by the pond watching the bindleaves coming down when a great blue When everything comes apart.heron began striding with the mostbeautiful and mindful steps around the She wanders through the streets of herperimeter of the pond. A bullfrog croaked lifeand leaped into the tall grass. So muchwas coming together for me in that Thinking she should burn it all down.moment. I will let the words speak for She says, “There must be somethingthemselves. wrong with me;” She feels the empty vessel of her heart’s about to drown. Healing Hands (6:23) The pinball trajectory of her lifeA small child lies prone in the street Brings her one day to a Healer’s door. Filled with doubt, she walks right through alone,Left for dead, a brutal attack. it,A head-on collision with fear and hate; Unaware that liberation’s in store.The girl with the broken-glass bottles in Chorus her back. Transformation is real;Now she’s grown, divorced, and Healing can be here today. unhappy. The past is gone, and we have the choice To let it slip away.Like her piano, she’s always out of tune.There’s more than glass in her that’s broken, though;Her nights are spent crying at the moon.

Now she walks her streets with and hate, equanimity; Sayin’ the ‘others’ are not our brothers –Gratitude in every step. how long must we wait?She knows that when the pain rises up Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run. again We’ll all find out someday, if it’sShe can stop and take a breath! Tumble & Run.Chorus The pensioner sits in a diaper at the slot machine,Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals, harp.George Wadsworth: Electric bass guitar. Hour after hour – what does it mean?© 2016 Words and music by Dan Colbert Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run.Sadly, many people in this world have Buying and collecting all the stuff wesuffered horrific traumas, such as the one don’t need;described in this song, which leave lastingeffects on their lives. Thankfully, it is Do you ever ask yourself: What does itsometimes possible, with various kinds of feed?care, to begin to heal. I wrote this song in Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run.spring, 2017, as an ode to healerseverywhere who provide a compassionate We’ll all find out someday, if it’sspace in which that healing can begin. Tumble & Run. Tumble & Run (5:05) We’re built for a world made long, longThere’s a hungry hawk, circling high in ago; the sky; How can we see? How to let it go?The young mother rushes when she hears We ask ourselves the wrong questions all her baby cry. the time, Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run.The candidate stokes the flames of fear Then we wonder why the answer doesn’t rhyme. Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run.

“To see a World in a grain of sand, and a Can you not see? heaven in a wild flower, That you are part of everything, You hurt yourselves when you hurt me.Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.” Your struggles to survive have taught you Tumble & Run……Tumble & Run. too wellNow, turn the lamp around; shine it like A mindless, harmful drive to grow. the sun! But like an allergy, it’s outgrown its good; It hurts me so – some of you know.Shine it all over, on each and everyone. And so now, it’s come down to this:Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals, harp A choice: Demise or change your ways.George Wadsworth: Electric bass guitar I myself can never die;© 2016 Words and music by Dan Colbert But you, my loves, may fade away.Begun on silent retreat at the Abbey in Now I ask for your support:2016 where I watched a hawk circling Care for yourselves by caring for me.above me. Thanks to William Blake for the I, your Mother Earth,last verse. Want only for you to be. Begin Anew (5:48) Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals. © 2016 Words and music by Dan ColbertOh! My lively, lovely flowers,You learn so fast, you love so well. Written right after the election in 2016 as IYou call yourselves “the knowing ones;” sat with great sadness and fear ofYou make this Mother’s heart swell. accelerated destruction of the environment. This song was how IOh, my Darling, Daring Loves, imagined Mother Earth might talk to theSuch great struggles you’ve endured. human race about the suffering we haveI’m sorry I made your lives so hard; caused to her, and to ourselves as well.All your mournful cries I’ve heard.Human children of my womb,

All We Need (4:53) Written during the fall, 2016, as Patricia and I were looking at houses to move intoSitting here in our garden together. I imagined us sitting under aWatching the rain fall; cover by our future garden watching theSee it watering the flowers, rain come down -- this is Portland, afterKnowing we’ve got it all… all! The core, though, relates to our practice of recognizing that we alreadyAll we need…and more have enough conditions to beTo be happy. happy. Patricia and I have much moreTo offer the light of our lamps than enough.To serenity.Swaying in the breeze,Being one with the trees.Soft clouds dot the sky,Peacefully floating by.Be the peace;Be the rain (falling down);Be the sun, the sun, the sun!Be the earth (the solid ground).Be a cloud;Be the hands;Be the love, be the love…Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals.George Wadsworth: Electric bass guitar.© 2016 Words and music by Dan Colbert

Leaving Time (5:48) Let my heart-river’s waters remain Sweet from timeless growing;Mossy white-bark birch trees A world of salt could dissolve while Love’sStand three-quarters bare; stream keeps flowing.Extending their branches over Pond,Taking her dare. Fallen leaves continue their Game of hide and seek;Way, way back it all began, No coming, no going, norA variation on a theme; Fitting words to speak.Wounded child, you had no chance,Or so it seemed. We yearn for answers to questions we Don’t know to ask;Chorus: They’re only to be found in a It’s leaving-time for leaves, Time that has no past! Drifting eagerly down. And it’s time for me Chorus To pack up and head back to town. Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocalsNo one came to show you how to © 2017 Words and music by Dan ColbertFree yourself from all that pain.So you scratched out some grooves that Another Abbey song, written during the November, 2017 silent retreat. Reflections you on impermanence and transformation.Played again and again (and again!).They say cracks are where the light gets in;Maybe that’s true for some.But yours filled in with scarsTough and numb.

Threads of Unbinding (5:17) “Even if it destroys you, you must hold to the truth.”I used to think I was an independent thinker like my Daddy was. Shine a light within – that’s where you’ll find proof.I’d belittle and dismiss other voices as so much dust. Threads of unbinding, etc…But now I see that I’m just another ape Connect by separating; following the crowd, To return you must depart. You have all the light you need toShaped by my surroundings, my true self Find what’s in your heart. hidden under a shroud. “To live,” he said, “we must die every(The wise monk* said:) instant.”“Truth cannot be borrowed, it can only be “Your ideals, hopes, and promises are non- experienced directly. existent.”We’re strangers to ourselves, molded by Make yourself a yardstick all your own. the hands of society. Then, you’ll find your true self, and a home.We must sew our own clothes, and reject Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals. their ready-made suits.” George Wadsworth: Electric bass guitar.These threads of unbinding will hold fast, © 2016 Words by Dan Colbert and Thich Nhat Hanh; music by Dan Colbert like a tall tree’s roots. Written late summer, 2017, soon afterThreads of unbinding reading *Thich Nhat Hanh’s memoir from the (I will find my true self) 1960’s, Fragrant Palm Leaves. His chapter titled “December 23, 1962” resonated withThreads of unbinding me as forcefully as anything I have ever (I will wear what I’ve sewn) read. It is about finding your true self. The quotations are taken directly or paraphrasedThreads of unbinding from this chapter. Thank you, Thây! (I will no longer follow any voices but my own)“We are hostage to arbitrary rules set up by others.”We must not even rely on those of sisters and brothers.

The Found (7:05) Now it does much more harm than good. The masks and strategies can all be putThere’s a skinny boy – he’d be 5 or 6,With bright eyes and a world he knows away.Isn’t the one for which he’s fit, What’s real has now been understood.A smile to please is all he shows. Man and boy have now become one;That troubled child relates to just one The lost is finally found. thing: Compassion shines bright as the sun; The Truth unbound!It’s music for which he longs.When he’s moved, he can’t help but sing, Come on up from under the ground.It makes him feel he belongs. What goes really does come around. Sing your song, that authentic sound!He needs to believe he belongs. With love & happiness you’ll be crowned.But he’s so often told that he’s wrong. With love & happiness you’ll be crowned. With love for yourself, you'll be found.Many years later – no longer thin,Facts and figures fill his head Dan Colbert: Acoustic Guitar, vocalsTo distract his heart from the pain that ©2017 Words and music by Dan Colbert underpins Written in early Fall, 2017, following aHis sadness; he feels nearly dead. retreat with the theme of exploring your inner child. This practice took hold onlyBut as he practices, he starts to see several weeks after the retreat, and gaveThat frightened boy alive in him. birth to various insights along with thisHolding him tenderly begins to free song.The one who’s been buried deep within.Come out, come out, sweet child!It’s safe here, you can stay awhile.No more need for all that protection;

We’ve Got Joy (5:09) So don’t be afraid; The darkness won’t stay.What happened, my Love? We can make tomorrow a brighter day.A shock to the heartOf our country, our world – So, be in each moment – be aware;Are we coming apart? Be the windswept grass on the range.Darkness – Be the mother, the daughter, the sister,On the edge of night;I feel too tired just now to the friend,Stand up and fight. Be the change!Chorus: ChorusBut we’ve got joy! For loving friends,Joy for trees, still water and the moon. Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals.Joy that we have one another; George Wadsworth: Electric bass guitar.These joys remain. © 2016 Words and music by Dan ColbertAnd the darkness is gonna end real soon. Another song written on silent retreat atNothing can spoil this, Dearest One; the Abbey, early November, 2016. OurNothing can alter what is real. retreat began the day after the election,That life is beautiful – and we were all in a state of shock. TheIt’s what each of us can feel. first evening, Patricia pressed into my hand a little note, which I still carry with me inSo, remember, my Darling, don’t forget my wallet. It reminded me of all we haveWhat every moment provides: to be joyful for, including trees, still water,“A heaven in a wildflower” and the moon, all of which were beautifullyIt’s a thrill to be alive. on display for us as we stood by the pond (yes, there she is again!). Her note wasChorus such a gift, and it became this song. Seeds of Love (6:19) Chorus:

Seeds of Love – I’ll water yours. friend, Jerry Braza, whose book, Seeds ofSeeds of Love – please water mine. Love inspired the song. The song speaks toSprouts of Love become entangled the four foundations of true love: Loving- kindness, Compassion, Joy, and over time. Equanimity. Thank you, Jerry!Shower them with loving-kindness; There Is Only One (Reprise + Outro) (2:53)Be the rain they need to grow. There is only one…Once it seeps deep down inside,They’ll shine, sparkle, and glow. Stop the hate, Lay it down, Join together, Love one another.Fertilize them with compassion;Bind those wounds to heal. Lay it down. Lay it down.Whether neutral, bad, or good, Come on Sister, Come on my Brother.Every one of us can feel. Dan Colbert: Acoustic guitar, vocals, harpChorus © 2007 Words and music by Dan ColbertShine on them the light of joy!The thrill to be alive.Joy is the sunshine needed to thrive.All seeds have their own DNA,Which can make us feel so far (from one another).Equanimity says, “That’s ok –You’re perfect just the way you are!”ChorusDan Colbert: Acoustic guitars, vocals, harp© 2016 Words and music by Dan ColbertWritten in spring, 2016, this song isdedicated to my mentor, brother, and

Produced and recorded by Dan Colbert.All music and lyrics by Dan Colbert.Mixed and Mastered by Dan Rhiger, Medicine Whistle Studio.Photography: Jerry Braza, except for the photo below by Patricia Hallam.Special thanks to: Patricia Hallam George Wadsworth Sister Mai Nghiem, for encouraging me to share my music for healing. All my dear friends who support me along the way.