you do not need
to be a zen
master
to depart with
the grace of
a cloud––
stars
spin so grandly––
why not join
them?
mother of earth
is sky¬¬––
flowing perfectly along
without moving––
never the same
like every non-existent
instant of
timelessness
we & our world
you & your world
are the elegance of a
rainbow
riding a shifting arc of
momentary
light
your mind, your memory,
your muscles, your bones,
your intimate
strands of dna
are proximate molecules of
blowing sand on a
miraculous-but-contingent
planet
what will you do
on the day when
your presence is
absent?
no matter,
go easy––
there’s plenty of time
if there’s
any
whatever you know,
knew, or is
knowable––
there is no end to
all that
is
do not lose
courage to the
fear in your
gut or in the
eyes of your loved
ones
know that
death is an earthly
affirmation––
your chance to
participate in the
must of things
hop
gently into
the departing
train
& you’ll be all
right