Corralled: Shut Out, Shut In

Caught up in thinking
And talking
And then just plain lost,
Shaky and fatigued,

The one constant
Being the renovations
That keep coming and coming,
And no end in sight;

Just when I think
It’s finally over
A new round starts up,
Doesn’t this guy ever get fed up?

I bet he does,
But we all
Have to earn
A living somehow;

Nevertheless, how frustrating that just when
The hot weather eased
And I could finally
Go outside,

He’s moved his machine
To the balcony,
So I have to choose
Between relative quiet and fresh air.

I chose the former
And got on with
Some noisy work
I had to do,
In self-defense
Against his insistent brouhaha.

Corpus: On My Mind

I was ready
To give up on mindfulness,
Until I remembered
Tara,

In the form of
A voice in my head
Calling my name,
As if she needed me;

How clever,
For how could one
Who’s occupation involves helping others
Ignore such a request?

I sat and visualized
Her across from me
In the usual place,
Inviting her to sit with me,

My resolve strengthened
And I was able to meditate,
Steadied by the perception of
Tara’s presence and her image;

Something worthwhile to investigate
Had indeed arisen,
And I set about
Noting all

Of what was present,
Whether pleasant
Or unpleasant,
Without judging or rejecting it.

Upon consideration of these events,
I take this as
A demonstration of
The mind’s power
To lead the body back home.

Corpulence: In the Way

Steeped in sadness
At the close of the day;
Waiting for answers?
Or maybe just waiting;

Wading though
A flock of dreams
And pushing them aside,
Making room for what?

What’s in between?
I can’t quite see,
Practical considerations
Crowd them out.

Once I thought
I saw something valuable,
But now
I’m not so sure;

Where does one go
When all is so obscured,
Or could the darkness itself
Be my object?

Once I thought it was
But I can’t see it now,
And I’m not certain
There’s anything there;

It’s just life
You see;
That’s all
That’s happening,

And with
Such a life as this,
Is there anything
Worth examining?
Perhaps that comes later.