THE TEACHER’S GENTLE GUIDANCE
Patience Have patience
Because your preparation is not yet complete
First the soil must be fertile Then the seed must fall Then it must rain
And the seed must sprout And grow into a tree
This tree must produce a fruit This fruit ripens slowly
And only when finally ripe Can it be eaten
All this
Just for a small snack
If I can be patient enough To do this
You can be patient enough
To wait for the completion of your preparation
Yet I see in you
A keenness to begin
This in itself is a sign
That you are approaching readiness
Be patient My son
So that I may fill you to the brim
I don’t want to leave you short of one drop I don’t want to spill one drop
So I pour slowly (Cont.)