Hey Rube....

I Have Not Lingered In European Monosteries

and discovered among the tall grasses tombs of knights

who fell as beautifully as their ballads tell;

I have not parted the grasses

or purposefully left them thatched.

I have not held my breath

so that I might hear the breathing of God

or tamed my heartbeat with an exercise,

or starved for visions.

Although I have watched him often

I have not become the heron,

leaving my body on the shore,

and I have not become the luminous trout,

leaving my body in the air.

I have not worshipped wounds and relics,

or combs of iron,

or bodies wrapped and burnt in scrolls.

I have not been unhappy for ten thousands years.

During the day I laugh and during the night I sleep.

My favorite cooks prepare my meals,

my body cleans and repairs itself,

and all my work goes well.

I Have Not Lingered In European Monosteries - Leonard Cohen

Photo by James Burke/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images