is this:
that so frequently the paying
keener attention takes you very
squarely into the mouth
the inside of the cheeks
the tongue
all over the body, bare yourelf
feel the air
cool? warm? let it swarm over
your tender skin. And even
when your hot steaming
shower splashing your shoulders
is finished keep staying in your limbs
feel blood in your fingers and toes
and most of all BE ALIVE
pulsing in the right now, see how slow you can
BE AWARE
look closely at what is in your vision
BE AWARE
RELAX right exactly where you are
make everything possible of this
very minute. STAY IN IT STAY IN IT
become something
of a sloth, that's one book's way
of saying it.
Even then when you feel pain,
heart, gut, shoulder, back, head
just close your eyes be steady
picture it if you must
but most of all just hold the pain in your
senses and don't put any name
to it but FEEL IT FEEL IT FEEL IT.
Sitting on the couch, relax
light a candle
STARE OUT TO THE MEADOW
STARE OUT OF YOUR HEAD
feel the breath
cool INto the nostrils warmth
OUTfrom the mouth breathe now
in slow slow slow slow
out go go go go
slow slow
go go
And after so many minutes
you may begin
to
move mindfully one foot after
another.
Oh these days in May are here
such a precious time to be slow
we revel amidst the yellow and
red fleshed
flowers and the pink and purple
and white fluffy pear budded trees
and grass so green
so incredibly pleasing to the
eye.
OH we still don't know
when OH WHEN OH WHEN
When will it be
safe to
WHEN CAN WE VENTURE
no one is sure
when we can venture out to
the world of
only weeks ago.
But now here out the window
comes joy in the
form of the first hummingbird
of the season, thank you GOD
the bird sips the sweet nectar
and sports that
bright ruby throat.
And on the lawn is a plainer
house finch, gathered pink
at the crown and nibbling
on the grass seed we had
thrown.
The world has grown so
fascinating so new
so trembling and alive
now that it
as slow
as
honey
dripping
from
a spoon
drop
by
drop
onto my peanut butter
cracker that I eat
mindfully
OH THE CRISP
OF IT I LOVE THE
TINY SESAME
SEEDS
All I need in a mid-
afternoon snack with my
cherished cup of
turmeric and cocao tea.
Dedicated to my dear friend, Sharon Flitterman-King, who first introduced me to "sloth philosophy," and to Greg Topakian, mindfulness teacher extraordinaire, and to Alexis Santos, who keeps helping me define AWARE.
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