Both Worlds

The Titanic and I both suffered physical damages, yet I am still afloat.

We humans live in both worlds, the material and the ethereal.

This affords us the privilege of feeling it all: the marvelous and the mundane.

I like to hang out in the field beyond words with the bodhisattvas I admire most.

But if I’m not careful I’ll miss the present, to my own detriment.

May I always return from my celestial travels to again feel the breath in my lungs and the grass between my toes.

The Monkey and the Monk

The angry monkey on my back

Throws tantrums, stamping and screeching
Crying hot tears of shame
Pointing fingers of blame
Hurling rocks vainly into the water
Not seeing who the enemy is
The zen master at my core
Remains still under the ripples
Embodying silence
Within the alarm bells
Unstirred in the field beyond words