N a p a l
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MARC OLMSTED
JEWEL OF ACTIVITY
LEAVING EARTH
“Teacher Death
I do thank you” – Allen Ginsberg
“Dungsé Rinpoché
passed away.”
I couldn't do anything
then just hugged my cat
and lay down
and went to sleep
in the late morning
* * *
NEW YEAR
Woke to that
"2012" disaster porn
Cusack movie
on TV with sound off
fell asleep
woke and they were
playing it again
***
Lily 15 years old
shakes black Japanese bell
for the ritual
death of my root teacher
Dream: I'm in my meditation cabin sitting on the
floor in the dark, getting something ready from my bag, when the door flies
open, there's a silhouette, a young man with blazing light behind him, outside
day, I'm startled awake -
* * *
BACK TO SANTA CRUZ
Shadow of the train’s mist
on the concrete wall
of an old company building
ducks in a dirty pond
strange hearse of my imagination
junkyard detritus
shop sign
Best
damn materials made!
***
Depression sets in,
sleeping hours in the dirty little cabin,
the dirt is all mine.
Two long naps and a full night’s sleep.
I was so drunk with my teacher’s mind.
Now the blues.
I missed a ride to the city to see my wife &
cat.
Trying to be butch,
Nietzschean,
samurai,
remembering my tattoos.
***
Walking up the path doing Dorje Drolod practice
a strange black dog runs down feverish barks at me,
I hold up my satchel protecting groin,
but calm repeating OM MANI PEME HUNG
twice aloud to comfort and he charges
on down the hill to the stupa.
* * *
TO NY
Plane over dry brown dirt
long past Rocky Mt. Shambhala Center,
consecrated stupa of Zuni Pueblo
going to me my root teacher’s body
in upstate New York
itself somewhere in transit in ice truck below –
sleep lack only a few hours
is this plane haunted? –
what spirits like to ride along
parasitic through iron bird air?
TV screen back of chair one row up
I glance through the seat crack
at travel commercial big white stupa of Buddha mind
–
glance out window to twin witch hat smoke
stacks
nuclear power plant below
***
now in a sort of car port motel...
given set of instructions & schedule
following it and then finding it demolished
cartoon Wiley Coyote yanking on a rope
he gets to the end and
rope attached to nothing
hanging in space
***
Snow with bright
prayer flags
The body of the
guru soon brought
home
skeletal trees
upstate N.Y.
beware of
black ice
on the road
* * *
FOR PELBAR
haiku weather
we are two crows - snow on
mountain, gray in hair
***
huge procession...
all with hats and banners
standing for hours in the snow
centurions in some weird pre-battle scenario
waiting for an ice truck
to bring the body...
***
Return return strong armpit musk
black night return to San Francisco,
ceremonies done weary happiness
my Buddhist teacher in my heart
in the black night abyss
out the tiny jet porthole window
* * *
SUPERNOVA FADING
Then back to work –
the current fades
‘wisdom criminal’ you called yourself
Mabuse Prof. Moriarty
above all the Joker
other brainiac outlaws
offer their respects
to your Coyote Trickster
How amazing!
Emaho!
OMG!!