Big sky mind
My grandson says god isn’t real.
I say we can’t prove god is or isn’t.
Somehow this leads to meditation
which is about Buddhism, GiGi.
Not exactly, I respond.
Anyone can meditate.
You don’t have to be Buddhist.
He thinks. But I think Dad is.
I nod my head. Your dad
your uncle & I are all kind of
Buddhist, I tell him.
Somehow this leads
to Big Sky Mind.
See the sky outside?
He nods.
See the clouds?
Thin wisps of cirrhus
feather the blue.
Are they always there?
He shakes his head.
No, I tell him: sometimes
the sun shines. Sometimes
it rains.
But what about the sky?
Is it always there?
He looks at me:
this is a hard question.
And yes, we agree:
the sky is always there.
That, I tell him,
is Buddhism. Clouds
are like thoughts –
they come and go.
But the sky and the mind?
They’re always there.
Even if we don’t know about god,
we know about the sky.
Wonderful; I like how this poem moves to the end.
These lines are particularly effective:
But what about the sky?
Is it always there?
He looks at me:
this is a hard question.
Thanks, Jacob! That means a lot, coming from you. 🙂
How beautiful–I can see the conversation as though it was me talking to my own grandson, though I doubt I would be nearly this eloquent.
Thanks, Tracy! And FYI: you’re pretty eloquent!
This should be included in a book on Buddhist thought or teaching. Just lovely.
The sky and the mind?
They are always there.
What a nice thing to say, Sarah!
Love this, so thoughtful and well crafted (I wanted to say woven). The conversation works so well here.
I’m glad to hear that, Caitlin ~ I don’t do much dialogue in poetry ~ Thank you!
That was amazing! I loved it! <3
Thank you!
Buddhism, stories, voices and big concepts in little hands. I love the pace and pause the structure creates, reinforcing the vastness of the questions and the singular location of the poem setting.
Thank you, Pam. I appreciate the close reading ~