Drawback: Returned to Patient Application of Effort

The other shoe
Has dropped once more,
As lack of sleep
From unknown cause

But no worries
Because this too is spontaneous
And as it has arisen
So it shall pass through,

Meanwhile,
Patience is overdue
For another spin
To settle in,

Watching the breath
And its assorted companions
As they flit about
Playfully,

Like fireflies
On a hot night
Reveling in
Their brief existence,

While I
(Whoever that may be)
Observes with fascination
The unfolding game,

Never the same
But still a consistent pattern,
Light and dark,
Life and death,

Up and down,
Outward and inward bound,
Running and stopping in place,
Always eager for the chase
And the quiet space in between.

Dozing: Resting in Activity

Drifting off
To sleep
But felt cold in the toes
And Aching arthritic feet;

Tried metta,
Tried wiggling
And ankle circles,
Leg shaking and rolling

But I needed to keep going
To make the heat return,
This vigorous occupation
Continued because it’s voluntary,

Caring spontaneously
Because it doesn’t have to be,
There’s no particular reason
For anything and so here it is,

Free flowing
And generous,
Inexhaustible
And endless,

Then the warmth percolated,
The blood vessels opening
In response to the stimulation,
The comfort returning

And so, the effort let go,
Replaced by enjoyment of
The pleasant results;
Finally, just on the way to sleep,

Lying and floating in
Nothing doing
And yet everything doing,
Forgetting all,
Until the morning.

Downy: Silken Bedding

Falling precipitously
But landing softly
On a bed of flowers
Strewn about,

Fragrant and sweet,
Gentle and delicate,
The air wafting
Over them silkily;

Coming down from
All that lofty stuff
To rest in the simple joys
And settle in “enough;”

Satisfied with sunlight
And spring breezes,
Feeling unconcerned
With their temporaryness;

For that implies
The passage of time,
And what is that
But a colourful metaphor;

And yet,
That concept
Is no different
From all else that is

And from there
One can go anywhere
Without even moving,
As it’s all here;

Making sense
Of what’s present
By just being it
And it being.