Enlightened Beings Lead the Way to Everlasting Life
By James K. Zimmerman
9/5/17
a mouse in the claws of
a ravenous
cat fears it will be
devoured, be
no more, life
extinguished, cannot
get away, prays to be
released
so Buddhists in Myanmar
rape
and murder Rohingya
women
and men, thousands like
pigs
in a slaughterhouse, mice
in a toxic hole, so they
may know
the next world, next
incarnation
will surely be better
than this one
a paradise without fear,
without
submission to allah, without
the need for daily
prayer
they exterminate with
infinite
feline compassion,
knowing
that all beings can
attain the peace
the selfless bliss of nirvana
release from attachment
to this body, this
world, from
suffering, terror and
blood
through the claws of
their encrusted
knives they want Rohingya
to see
that if there is anatta, if there is
no self, if there is anicca, if all
is impermanent, then a
life lost
does not matter, a rape
is only
a moment in time, a
bludgeoning
is to awaken clarity, a
decapitation
is an act of undying mercy
since life in this
world is all
dukkha, all a matter of suffering
their lovingkindness
leads them
to give Rohingya
children a chance
to contemplate loss of
life
as a path to eternal
freedom
and to learn that to sit
on a pile
of bodies, lie in their
mother's
lifeless arms, meditate
on a pile
of skulls is a
blessing, a step
toward the luminous
light
of boundless love
_______________________
Paying Attention
By
James K. Zimmerman
two cabbage butterflies dance, wings
tease and touch on the butterfly bush
on sweet pea flowers, fritillaries
honey bees nestle and drowse
a goldfinch dips and sings across the grass
in my hands, so hard to hold the beauty
the brilliant sun this afternoon
if I'm not in awe, I'm not paying attention
in my heart I hold a candle
for Heather Heyer, Tamir Rice
Terence Crutcher and Trayvon Martin
Eric Garner, Walter Scott
for Justine Damond, Michael Brown
Freddie Gray, too many more
too many more
the heaviness, ocean of disbelief
flow of grief and blood
if you're not outraged, Heather said
you're not paying attention
a candle too for James Alex Fields
Timothy Loehmann, Betty Shelby
George Zimmerman, Daniel Pantaleo
for Michael Slager, Mohamed Noor
faceless hoards, too many more
too many more
the heaviness, ocean of disbelief
flow of otherness and guilt
if you're not outraged, Heather said
you're not paying attention
a candle in my heart in Charlottesville
Cleveland, Tulsa and Sanford
Staten Island, Charleston, Minneapolis
Ferguson and Baltimore, Orlando
and Dallas, too many more
too many more
cabbage butterflies dance, bees
hover, fritillaries drowse
a goldfinch dips and sings
if I'm not in awe, I'm not paying attention
if I'm not outraged, I'm not paying attention
if you're not outraged, you're not
paying attention
not paying attention
Copyright©2017 by James K. Zimmerman – All Rights
Reserved
