Lojong Poems: One

[Introduction]

Lojong Poems: One

~ First train in the preliminaries

I.
Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out

Watching the air move through
of my body, a mist of thoughts
inhaled and exhaled, leaving me
staring at the sound of moving water
_____

Thoughts are like wine
drunk all the time
looking for a path
to walk away
_____

Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out

A winter wind chills the desert,
lonely clouds crossing pale sky,
I sit on red rocks in the canyon,
flesh weighting me as an anchor
_____

Tied to a wheel
learning how to feel
if I had it all again
I'd change it all
_____

Breathe in, breathe out
Breathe in, breathe out

A raven circles overhead, a promise
that sitting is the path to deeper
vision, watching the breath escape,
a body of words seeking expression

II.
(23 seconds of silence)

bang bang bang
wild thoughts pound around
inside my skull

watching the breath
hearing the breath
feeling the breath

I am a mirror
unto my self,
vibrations, reflections,
never as still as the surface
of a farmer's pond,
never quiet as a snowy morning
in the Oregon wilderness

(14 seconds of silence)

watching the breath,
then, again
bang bang bang
the thoughts rattle along
loud as a passing train

still I seek silence,
quieting the neurons,
to watch it all glide away
on the fog exhaled
from my lungs

(21 seconds of silence)

Tags: Lojong Poems, one, First train in the preliminaries, poetry, Buddhism, Meditation