Compassionate: Growth

A nothing day,
Difficult meditation
And deeply depressed mood
Broken finally by
A mantra:
Breathe, relax, open
To whatever is here,

Like the Hindu god Shiva,
Breaks open the egg
So that the baby bird
Can emerge
From there
To begin
A new life.

Then mindfulness
Of breathing commenced,
With everything else
In the background,
And the hatchling found shelter there,
Full presence given to
This being;

Offered comfort as well,
And then depression and anguish
Replaced by compassion
And understanding;
The fledgling stretched
Its wings towards the rising sun,
And basked in the warmth.

A nothing day transformed
Into a beautiful evening,
And a gentle night,
One of peace, ease and steadiness;
With confidence
That as the wings grow stronger
This bird will soar above the clouds.

Compassion: Home Remedies

Up to my eyeballs
In doubt;
Didn’t really meditate,
Just sat at first.

Quite out of it
But enjoyed the fog.
Later body settled into
Spontaneous breathing awareness;

Then pain
In back of shoulders
And neck;
Floated in this discomfort,

But aching all over followed;
Did yoga movements
While sitting, but
Caught in reflections again,

Thought, ‘everything leading
In the wrong direction now,
But what choice do I have?’
Worn out and achy.

Instead of feeling
Sorry for self,
Stretched, ate,
Ran a hot bath, and relaxed;

All effective,
My efforts worthwhile,
Even though bogged down in
Recurring theme: my current situation.

At bedtime noticed depression,
Thought, ‘hello, old friend,’
Relaxed into it,
Rolled over and slept.

Commute: Seeking Balance

Fed up with
Getting pulled by emotions;
Tried mindfulness of breathing
All day, instead.

Accomplished much
But restlessness,
Dissatisfaction
And criticism driven;

Pulled from task
To task,
Jobs to be done,
And perfectionism besides.

Mindfulness of all
Made settling into meditation easier,
But stillness broken
By mental busyness: chores to do.

Restlessness revitalized afterwards,
With incessant thinking
Compulsive cleaning,
But posture focus too.

When finished, sat for tea;
Met with shakiness, agitation,
Likely migraine coming
With the weather change;

The external atmosphere
Brought about internal alterations,
Which gave rise to turbulent moods,
Upon which the mind broods.

Finally flew angrily into exercising,
Drumming furniture and dancing war;
This frenzy vanquished the fury
By channeling the tempest,
And then at last mind came to rest.