Discharge: Volcanic Event

Thursday, already, oh!
What a frustrating week,
Having trouble getting going
Due to plunging energy;

If only the weather would co-operate
And settle down a little,
Maybe the headaches would stop,
The pain skid addle

And the mood swings as well,
Recurrent blistering anger,
Incessant rumination
And loss of temper;

Meditation practice
Consisting mostly of metta,
Trying to bring kindness
To the palaver,

Slow breathing and stretching,
Bringing body and mind together,
Exercising and resting
And patience applying;

Faster than expected
Evening arrived,
Working into the night
Attempting to catch up,

Ate so late
Was almost Friday,
Only a light meal
As little time for otherwise,

And when bedtime at last,
‘Twas well into the wee hours,
Too soon comes the dawn,
And tasks undone still without number.

Discernment: Exploring Concentration

Meditating steadily,
Applying loving-kindness,
Floating in joy and bliss,
Nothing amiss,

Absorption in glowing yellow,
Lightheadedness sets in,
Energy rises through the head,
Surging, frothing, overflowing;

Settling ensues,
Gliding into tranquil waters,
Dead calm and fuzziness
But more effort increases focus.

Experiencing stable awareness,
Level but at ease,
Being at peace,
Body barely noticed

But then tension grows,
From staying so long
In the same position,
Reluctance to move, however;

Exertion redoubled,
Zooming in on the breath,
Concentration intensification,
Stillness regained;

Coldness breaks out
Creating more contraction,
Attraction irresistible
And attention gets pulled away.

Finally, time’s up
And along comes big muscle stretching,
From end to end
And back again,
Relishing the experience.

Discerning: Seeing This

Fibromyalgia attack!
Reframing pain as energy,
Dancing with the fire,
Absorbing the flames
And breathing them back out;

Hey, could this be
The source of the story
About
The Buddha breathing fire?

Maybe not
But it makes me laugh
And that feels good,
Cooling the burning.

Let it burn!
Or so I’ve heard
But I’d rather transform it
Into something wonderful

And can I do that?
At least partly.
Could it be that simple?
What if it is?

That would be beautiful
To just see it as light
And banish the dark
To wherever it came from,

I did it before
And I’m doing it again
And that’s okay
For as long as it lasts;

I only need see this,
That all is well
But getting to see this,
That’s the skill.