I was contemplating the great meaning of Buddhism
sitting in the crisp cold of a january morning
when a bird sitting overhead on a tree branch shat on my jacket
maybe it was one of those wacky zen masters
that turned himself into a bird after
meditating and remaining motionless for a year
I started laughing and thought “maybe that’s the answer!”
on an impulse, I gathered up my old zen books
threw them in the trash seeking true freedom
at 4 a.m., I had a change of heart and was rifling thru the curbside container for them
while keeping an eye out for hungry bears
who might be hungry for some zen wisdom
banana peels, cookie wrappers, tea bags, Doritos bags (empty of course)
all the necessities of a good life
the whiskey bottles were in the recycling bin-- I’m a good citizen of planet Earth.
later roamed the mountainside looking for nirvana
a small plane flies overhead and I’m suddenly reminded
of the old movie ‘The Flight Of The Phoenix’ with James Stewart
tonight I will reach enlightenment unless I don’t
I’m being paged by Mr. Sam Sara
they say please meet your party on the lower level of Terminal A
I tell him I have a wooden hut in my backyard
walking until after dark and then going home and doing candle flame meditation
I can’t think of a reason, so I’ll blame the mysterious universe
let me sit around this fire and lose these worldly induced chills
