You and The Buddha

by T.M. Wright

The Buddha sits quietly cross-legged near
a photograph of you, which is near me as I
write, and the Buddha tries hard to remind me
of patience, forbearance, the futility
of worry.

I am grateful to the Buddha. I glance at him
a moment or two every day and envy his calm
uncertainty, his languid happiness at
not-knowing.

Sometimes I move the Buddha closer
to the little clock that sits
near him, which sits, as well,
near the photograph
of you, and I devise
a pleasing arrangement.
The Buddha smiles.

You and the Buddha,
The Buddha and the clock. At six
AM, this moment in which I write,
the sky is thickening into something
loud and memorable;

the day
which has passed
is a gem of indecision,
and you stand so quietly within it--

delicate, unmovable,
devout.

© T.M. Wright, 2003

T.M. Wright is the literary editor of Writer Online. His latest novel, Cold House, has been garnering universal acclaim: buy it at www.catalystpress.net or www.shocklines.com, as well as at other online bookstores.