lunch hour

thursday i asked aloud for the dharma
i bowed at the altar, i left an offering
the dharma took a weekend, but i was protected
i carry a couple talismans

monday noon helen spoke it
with straight spine and sloping shoulders
served it fearless to a whole circle 
of us between worlds 
my shoulders for now hang easier too
the stone for now has fallen 
or the bodhis have caught it above me
before its force even whooshed the crown of my head

i step easy home and at my mailbox
a letter from the temple
the new year’s greeting
the message, shin-kai 
heart open

so i take the moment to let this dharma fill me
and pass on
before fretting
about whether or not to go back to the office

shin-kai