Discrete: Choppy Waters

Business unusual,
Looking at new options,
Courted by astonishment
And dancing with uncertainty;

Doubt and worry
On the horizon,
Like storm clouds
Slowly moving in,

Have to hunker down
Or get blown before the wind,
Carried away by chaos,
Brought back by resolve,

Can’t get involved
In angry explosions,
Or wild cascading emotions,
Like torrents of rain;

Furiously, it falls, again and again,
‘Til I get lost
And forget what’s happening,
Caught up in the tempest,

Unable to sleep
But instead continuing to ruminate,
On past injustices and present,
Not really being in the present.

Whatever happened to mindfulness?
It disappears and reappears
Like a log floating in
A turbulent stream,

One can only go along
When the river is so strong
And yet aiming for the shore,
I finally surface once more.

Discrepancy: Crunched

Feeling plowed under
With fatigue and pain,
Longing for relief
But finding none.

Sitting with this
Is very unpleasant
But getting up
Too much effort;

Can’t get up,
Can’t calm down,
Agitation fizzes,
Muscle pain burns;

Then, “let it burn”
Comes to mind,
Fed up with half measures,
There’s a mountain to climb.

Way too much to do,
Such a long list,
Would rather be resting
But have to move on.

One task piles on top another
And the weight presses heavily,
Another migraine coming on
Does not reduce the stress.

To cry, “help!”
Does not ease it either,
So not sure what to do
Or where to look;

Have to exercise patience,
Resolve to push gently forward,
This downturn will upturn
And everything will look better.

Discovery: Exploring Absorption

Steeped in fatigue,
Lay down on the bed
And put attention on the breath,
Counting each inhale

And after a while
The mind quieted down
And what next arose
Was great happiness and joy,

Blissful feelings vibrated through
From head to toe,
Equaled by amazement
That such could be so,

Turned awareness towards this activity
And deep absorption ensued,
One pointed concentration and more,
As awareness deepened too;

How long these events lasted
Was difficult to know
But lay down at 8:30 pm
And did not rise ‘til midnight,

Getting up and stretching vigorously,
Feeling the body,
Experiencing the refreshment
Of the resulting replenishment;

Incredible to see
What a difference
Full absorption can bring,
What energy, what peace,

Such wonder in this
Simple practice,
Each time it’s repeated
When I’m feeling depleted.