WENDY STERN - POEMS
Why? (Dusky blue)
Because I want to be free of the entrapment,
The tight suffocating skin,
Of identity,
Of the thick-layered bandaging of the personality.
And of the cage,
Of attachment,
Because I want my hands to be rested
On my open lap,
Palms facing upwards in meditation posture,
Instead of the seemingly thousand arms,
Reaching out in endless need, clutching, grasping, holding,
Meditative, calm, equanimous, still,
Letting go,
Because I want my belly
To be soft, relaxed, undefended,
No need for armouring,
Room for the breath,
Room for life,
Room for it all,
Spacious,
Unhindered,
Accepting everything. **
Because I want my mind,
To be like the sky at twilight,
Vast, clear, empty – an indescribable blue,
Just a few stars,
Shining brightly,
Mind like the twilight sky,
Cloudless.
Why Am I a Buddhist?
Because I want to be free -
Free of the bindings of the Self,
To sit, hands rested in meditation posture,
Heart open with compassion,
For the suffering of all beings,
Belly soft, spacious,
Breathing.
And because I want my mind,
To be like the sky at twilight,
Just a few stars,
Dusky Blue.
** Soft belly is an idea borrowed from Stephen Levine's CD ''Soft belly meditation'.