A few feet to one side...

The following passage is by the poet Lew Welch, and was used by Gary Snyder to preface his road poem "Night-Highway 99."


"Only the very poor, or eccentric, can surround themselves with shapes of elegance (soon to be demolished) in which they are forced by poverty to move with leisurely grace. We remain alert so as not to get run down, but it turns out you only have to hop a few feet to one side and the whole huge machinery rolls by, not seeing you at all."

The words rang true for me in Cambodia. Eloquent and succinct, they capture the heart of the philosophy that I'm so drawn towards.

Lew Welch disappeared into the mountains behind Gary Snyder's house in the early 1970s, leaving a cryptic note behind. He was never seen again.