Ebb: Dropping Down

Mindfulness
Of the body
Presents no difficulty
When my back goes out
And my entire frame is aching ceaselessly!

When every movement
Requires careful consideration
To minimize the discomfort
And constant stretching to ease the pain,

Then no other incentive is needed
Nor intentional effort,
As the body commands attention,
Demands careful awareness and slow motion,

No need to try to
Stay with the breathing,
As it whooshes in and out markedly
With each posture change,

Sighing and moaning splits the air
Like wind through an old tree,
And the tree is this unsteady form,
Staggering and creaking,

So that, even this difficulty
Becomes a practice landmark,
How to do this work of letting go
When this sharpness pulls me back in?

Desire to get out compels me
But how does that help?
And where is there to go?
What recourse when ill health hinders?

What is it that seems to depart?
I can make no sense off it
And so, I just keep moving
And keep a look out for an answer.