Ikkyū (1394-1481) was a radical and eccentric Zen master who broke monastic rules and influenced Japanese art and literature

Beneath the skin of
The one we fondle today,
There is a skeleton,
Propping up the flesh.

Ikkyu

I love this poem, but it disturbs me deeply. The image of a woman I am holding in my arms being a skeleton one day is almost unbearable. But it radically reminds me of the nature of this impermanence we temporarily live it.