Aching, floating, suspended in illness
Illness of body and mind
Words do not mean too much right now,
nor the ripple of thought undulating through mind

There is only this moment,
and this moment,
and this.

Restaurant walls, pagoda, kanji writing,
cartoon images of Japanese heroes and heroines,
and Lesley’s face.
Give care to Lesley. She needs care too.

Breath breathes the body in space,
as each experience slides into the next

Many people around me in the restaurant; they seem fine

It’s ok to be hurt
It’s ok to be confused

White rice and black seaweed on my plate
The Rising Sun in the East
Blood-red Amitabha glows with compassion

Hakuin and Dogen on the Triratna refuge tree
Hakuin’s focus on artistry
Dogen a symbol of non-duality

A monk asks Master Joshu in all seriousness:
“Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?”
Joshu replies:
“Mu!”
The sound “Mu” swallows all concepts

Kusalasara’s face comes to mind
Her face is not conventionally pretty but it contains a spirit
Why have I been swayed by conventional prettiness all these years?

Her spirit transcends the movements of health and illness
It penetrates depths