Jesus' 1st 100 days

Jesus’ 1st 100 days
40 of them spent
Purging himself in the desert
The remainder
With relatively less austerity
But free healthcare for lepers
Draining the Temple swamp
Of hypocrites and salesmen
Setting the groundwork
For a legacy of compassion and social justice
Just left some cold
And wishing they would have
Written in
Naphtali ben Moshe,
A bit inexperienced
As savior
But a solid conservative
Strong on family values
And tough on terrorism,
“The Holy Land is for Jews”, he said
And “I will never accept a campaign contribution
From wise men”

I have a deep solution

I have a deep
solution
a hurt
like an anchor
calls me
to sit down
on the floor
with you
to play
with the dust bunnies
and the bacteria
until the thing
is revealed
a LEGO city
shining
in plastic reality
for our peace
to abide in
authentic healing
recess bully
and forgiving
victim

origin

the last straw
tripped
the first flame
and the Universe
started
all over
again

I am that flower

I am that flower
wilted and browning
yellow center
fragrance soured
I am that flower
I am still
exquisite

couple, with dogs

I saw this couple walking down the sidewalk on this superb, overcast night. Each was walking a huge dog; the dogs were identical, thin, mottled shaggy black and white.



My assorted thoughts on seeing this –

Who gets the dogs if the couple breaks up?

Will they have to split up the dogs?

Isn’t it ashamed people have to go through all of that meeting, dating, haggling, discussing, arguing, moving in, only to raise two beautiful dogs that are going to get split up?

God, am I glad I’m single!



Then another thought –

Wouldn’t I like to just experience the sweetness of bonding with someone, being so close we could own two gorgeous dogs? We could walk them on nights like this, together, enjoying the company and the quiet and the occasional conversation.



Nah, I answered. I don’t trust other people like all that.



Then, another thought, in a different voice, my deceased curmudgeonly friend’s voice –

“Well, sir. Maybe that means that YOU are not that trustworthy.”



Yes, Baba, I suppose it’s so. I suppose it’s so.

everybody's somebody's baby

lost in the circumspect

evening

if we would but

touch

we would never regret

what we would have

an impossible time

forgetting



two dust particles

plummeting simultaneously

on opposite sides

of the planet



everybody's

somebody's

baby



won't you be

the one

I've come here

to evade

every conversation

from my favorite, obscure fantasy novels
from watershed dreams at night,
waking into uncanny optimism
come my personal, Universal metaphors
used in every conservation
about consciousness
and emptiness
and God
with you my love,
my opponent
my Self

how shall I proselytize?
how would you like
to be converted?
my baptism
is not water or fire or Spirit
but music and coffee
late night talk shows and pizza,
companionship, belly laughs
even boredom and drowsiness

we will fall asleep, happy and sated
with the taste of our most high pleasure
on our hearts and tongues
long before
any possible segue
into making love

meditation class

sit
and smile

that's it
you are
dismissed