Calculate: The Way to Liberation . . . Perhaps

Today dawned clear
But the swells were up,
I shivered in the bottom of
My little boat,
As it tossed and turned
Like a restless sleeper.

I too could find no rest
From my doubts and worries,
And although I considered what plan was best
I accomplished little,
And in utter frustration
Finally abandoned my tasks.

Now, once again the sun has set
And I’m drying out my clothes
That the sea has wet,
And watching the gulls circling overhead.

In addition to these ordinary chores,
I listened to some audio dharma talks once more,
And obtained some reassurance from
The words of wisdom I encountered there.

The way through to the end of suffering,
It’s been said,
Is to traverse the suffering itself,
And this observation confirms what I’ve discovered.

I had spent the day wrestling with
One of my old patterns of reacting,
And reached the same conclusion
From that experience.

And so, I confront this sobering fact
That I can’t go forward until I get unstuck
From the painful feelings that keep recurring,
But once I do that and they pass on through,
I’ll be on my way across the bonnie blue.