from the Machig Labdrön

by Barbara Moraff

Sitting in a chair
writing on my knees
broken ankle pinned w/steel
sunrise in my skull

             from the Machig Labdrön

arousing resolve
meditating training the mind
immeasurably focus
painfully focus
offer     offer     offer
dedicate
             & dissolve —

Machigma says in the Bad Time you will discard
yr lifelong buddies     Take on new ones & use &
             discard them     the wrong end
         of the stick in yr heart
     Soon there will be no one
who is or has a friend     everyone will argue
     bitch over whose opinion has merit     whose view
     is clear
& all the people will know
                                        nothing & everything
     think nothing & everything
        do nothing & everything     go nowhere & everywhere
every gate a revolving door on fire
even now just look at all our children
     doubling their chins     whose distended bellies
signal starvation & sluggish
                                          hearts

(why does this
need to be
laid out    /    what happened
                      to separate but not alone)

        Machigma says the voices of those few
who live for humanity to live
        will waste away in the babble electronic —

        Now meditate
w/yr actions.  why not
        be heroic. / isn’t it
                            all in
                            the
                            mind ?