Buddha standing before you arms at his sides
hands held up, palms flat
like a traffic cop saying slow down
you know what happens when you don’t sleep
the brain from the heart hides
odd ideas race off with your head
the mind too needs a rest,
you are not as you imagine, you are not
your body, it is borrowed from time
gravity is pulling it back from where it came,
Don’t shoot, harm neither yourself nor others
we can learn Back Lives Matter
we can breathe with all that lives, just sit
become aware the rising and falling of lungs
will stop, your universe will shatter
now and again: each breath is your last–
The glass of merlot beside the Buddha
rises like a chalice of blood
no less important or meaningful than
the candle glowing nearby, a stupa of wisdom
a comet moving over Bethlehem, a star.
Religion is the oxycontin of the masses,
All you need do is be still and know who you are.
