Twelve

Breakfast was Muesli
Or Toast
Positively no bacon

Tea, or dinner if you prefer
Was Macaroni Cheese
Or Wheat-Free Vegetable Risotto

If you ever did wonder
Why I don’t want to reside here
There you have it; breakfast, dinner or tea

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Eleven

The sound of the vacuum cleaner
Masks the sound of the footsteps

The sound of the footsteps
Masks the sound of the voice

The sound of the voice
Masks the sound of the busy mind

The sound of the busy mind
Masks the sound of silence

The sound of silence
Masks my own lack of awareness

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Ten

During prayers
I thought of my grandmother Elsie
I thought of my mother Eva

I thought of how
They might well have been Buddhists
If not for the Methodists of their time

Yes, they would be happy to help
They would be so so good house-mothers
Supportive, kind, offering love with guidance

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Nine

A lady enters the room
To make preparations for prayers
To be chanted in about half an hours time
I am invited to stay, I will stay for some

Although I might have to take a side seat
Not to be centre stage you understand
For I have neither the knowledge nor the voice
To create a pleasant experience for others

As I meditated I felt:
First a twinge in my shoulder
Then a twitch in my calf
Then a dull ache in my lower back

Let no one accuse me of being unaware
My awareness is firmly held
Yet it is arguably well assisted
By the silence behind closed eyes

A silence undone by footsteps
A silence undone by voices
A silence I once so treasured
Unaware of the harm it caused

A silence undone by vacuum cleaners
A silence undone by a busy mind
A silence beyond my awareness
Oh silence, what trouble you’ve caused

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Eight

I am in the second meditation room
I think they call it the protector
Which I take to mean
That it keeps evil spirits from the main room

The flowers are silk
Which is a disappointment
Though the water is real
As are the offerings of Bergamot and Coffee

Actually, the protector is there
To ensure that I am not prevented
From reaching my spiritual realisations
Why, how I thank you for that

I take a few minutes out
For a breathing meditation
I breathe in, I breathe out
Exactly as the instruction card says

But I also think to myself
Of what photographs I could have taken
To accompany the words
To justify the words

The ploughed field
The partridge, or pheasant
The tree line on top of the hill
The orange-tint, on the distant tree

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