The Buddha's Hand
After many years I come back
to swimming.
In the water I feel
a buoyancy
seldom known in my everyday life.
Since the collective grief of 9/11
I have observed as I turn my head
for breath
the cycle of the turning year.
the leaves have turned & fallen away.
Stark branches & low sun
have marked the onset of winter.
Slowly the light has returned
& now, even the new green.
In all this time the water
has never failed
to carry my body
as the spirit carries the soul's
knowledge
that the body will fall away
& something buoyant
that the water knows
will continue.
At those moments when
the mind
is free of thought
an oceanic sense of contentment
enters
& leaves
with every breath
& that which continues
is known
inside the knower
like an ancient embrace
first seen
in the gesture
of the Buddha's
upturned hand.
