De Facto: Feeling So Fortunate

This awful influenza,
The first one I’ve endured
Since I began this most recent
Mindfulness trek,

But feeling so fortunate
To have fruit to eat,
As it’s the only thing
My stomach will tolerate,

Juicy tangerine,
Soft banana,
Hard plumb,
So sweet and enjoyable,

Refreshing and energizing,
My body and mind
So grateful to receive
Such treats,

A welcome change
From the usual heavy fare
Of bowl after bowl
Of assorted stews,

My simple home-cooked diet
Livened up for the occasion,
No take out around here,
And such variety is rare,

So for tonight
This is fast food delight,
No dishes to scrub,
And no pots neither,

A change like this
Is long overdue,
And so timely too
While I’m recovering from
This nasty flu.

Deep-Seated: Out from under the Pillow

Horrible night,
Barely slept,
Anger and irritability,
Delusion and doubt,

A layer of futility and disgust
Covers everything
But then during meditation, thought,
‘This sitting is my answer,’

‘Attending to,
Just this,’
And yet distraction set in,
Awareness got lost once more,

Until,
Just before sleep,
As I lay waiting
To drift off,

I noticed confusion,
And from this energetic state
Emerged strong presence
And discovery,

For there I saw,
There was no clinging occurring,
What a startling find!
How did that happen?

Where was my attention
On this occasion?
How could I have gone
And missed out on such an important event?

'Oh well,' I thought, 'here it is now,
To marvel at
And enjoy
For as long as it persists.'

Deeply: Reaching Forward, Reaching Back

This day again was tough
But less so than yesterday,
Maybe finally the virus
Has had enough of me;

I surely won’t miss
All this nose blowing
And coughing,
Nor the long hours abed;

Rallied today somewhat
And caught up with some tasks,
Twas such a relief
To finally be back on my feet;

So many duties neglected
Due to this latest illness;
These setbacks have been coming so often
Tis one of those years I guess,

But no time for tears or regrets,
Have to go forward
And see what’s up next,
Embracing the unreliable,

Sometimes it’s more excitement
Than I can handle comfortably
But lessons learned
Every time,

Another mountain climbed,
Another victory celebration,
To have gotten through
This latest challenge,

Ah but, it’s not over yet,
Too early to tell
If or even when the flag
Will be planted.