Change: Pain Stopper

A different tack:
10 minutes breathing,
15 looking at,
And investigating what came up.

I found pain
In my upper back,
But when I looked
It retreated, discomfort unpacked.

All kinds of emotions
Came up in its place,
Ancient hatreds let go,
Old memories displaced.

When I watched this unfolding
Of feelings and thoughts,
Astonishment, wonder, surprise arose
As they flitted before my eyes.

I never knew that focusing on pain
Would bring up such an array,
A seemingly unrelated display
That brought relief from the play.

But the thoughts were much harder
Than the pain that departed;
The discomfort had masked
Views and passions from the past;

Products of days
When rejections were body-related,
The body responded
By contracting and aching.

Who wouldn’t fall to complaining
When such rebuffs are proffered?
But now the cause released,
And the suffering temporarily ceased.

Certainly: Rage Dissipation

In a roaring mood
I let go,
Rage swept through
And left no tracks.

To my surprise,
I could not find it
When it went.
Where did it go?

I walked down the street
In relative peace,
Compared to the anger
That had ceased.

I could not see
Where it fled,
Amazement followed
At this development.

So many times
I’ve stuffed fury,
Only to have
It surge up in a hurry.

But when I gave in
To this fierce wind,
It only blew thin air,
As if barely there.

Not a hair was stirred,
Not a harsh word heard,
No crockery smashed,
No walls bashed.

All stilled,
No ill willed,
Quiet reigned,
No one got blamed,
Quenched was the flame.

Certain: What I Don’t Like

When I really don’t like something,
I tend to try to deny it,
Because it hurts!
But in light of today’s events,

At least for today,
When I don’t like something,
I want to be here
Even for that!

When I don’t like what I get,
I want to know
That I don’t like it
When I don’t like it.

I want to feel
What it’s like
To loathe, and to
Get to know my loathing thoroughly!

Even if I don’t like
What’s here,
I want to experience
That too!

And anyway,
What else is there
To being here,
Except knowing?

After that, who knows?
So, I might as well
Know now,
Even if I don’t like
What I know.