upon a handful of sand
the fool made his stand
and proclaimed his domain
deaf to wiser men who plead
that he abandon his stead
all entreaties were in vain
until came the tide
until came the rain
that washed away his bed,
dousing his stubborn
no-longer-disbelieving
hot little head
mindfulness is hard to practice
when those around you
offer unsolicited advice
to combat what is perceived to be
a long term unhappiness
Here is something I learned from my mother:
Non-acceptable ways of venting anxiety include
Sleeping
Eating
Anger
&
Complaining to friends
But cleaning the house puts not only your home in order
It gives you time to put yourself in order
Waiting for hours
The prisoner of fears paces
Squeezed between walls and plastered posters
Meant to threaten and negate
All the beauty of the world drained into slogans
Monochrome beasts, fanged and sharpened
Any visitor speaks softly like a ghost
A trick of wind
The inmate cannot hear who entreats him
And the friend cannot see his walls
RED GLADIOLA 