Sunday, February 2, 2014

Sonnet #21: Brief memories of bliss


"Let go and let God," the 12-Step people say;
and we're told we'll have to die to be born again.
Emptying that we might be filled is another way
to describe what we must do to be fully Zen.

But it's easier said than done.  Even if we sit
in a quiet space with very few distractions,
start with a gong, and get the candles lit,
the brain has a mind of its own, always in action.

The wheel of thoughts keeps spinning round and round,
and imagination leaps from wish to wish,
our best intentions seem to run aground,
overwhelmed by all the worries that persist.

And yet we're willing to keep attempting this,
our struggles fueled by brief memories of bliss.


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