reliquary

breathe in
revel in your essential Self
breathe out
exit your body

this cycle
uninterrupted for eons
carries us
conscious of our hearts
and those of our loved ones
bumpa--wump
beat little bird
of our ancestors, of our enemies

leaves out nothing
involves us all

an elegant unfolding
a flower
with infinite petals
in creation's
incomplete transformation

a newborn child
knew this once
moved on in a time of war
left us his essence
in a pot
full of ashes