Extract from 'Fifteen Minutes'

We have the potential
to become
fully perfected Buddhas.
We have only
to strip back the skin
of our unenlightened selves
to the banana
of our Buddha-nature.
Electric fan cools
my right ear,
smoothly spinning the air
like candyfloss.
Inside it must be dark.
This way you get
to surprise yourself.
Meeting you
after all these years
is pleasurable.
Imagine, all of this time
turning a blind eye
on myself; the best
I could do
was to let it go.
You wouldn’t treat
a dog that way,
would you?
How long, exactly?
All of it, I guess,
minus maybe
a few hours, max.
Go in far enough
you come out
the other side.
Office furniture.
Brown filing cabinet.
Unsettling materials
I suddenly feel
compelled to describe
as though my life
depended on it.
The former occupant
painted the walls
toothpaste green.
Worked for them.
Grey and white marble lino.
Grimy accretions
around the edges.
Up close everything
is scratched
or has in some way
deteriorated
from its original
pristine condition.
Look as though doing
something important.
6 minutes to go.
Yin-yang mouse mat.
Facebook minimized
to taskbar.
I see Bernard Welt
has come online.
A small balloon
of happiness rises
though reputation
cannot end suffering
either since you
do nothing for it.
When the end feels right
I start again.

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