by William Lenderking, from the chapbook Refuge:

Where Is My Refuge?

I do not take my refuge in those vows.
I can’t take refuge in blessed Buddha.
I won’t surrender to any guru:
Yogi Bhajan stomped on the trust we gave
and Jesus’ name inspires heinous crimes!
Where now to search for meaning and for truth?

I start with whole notes, dotted eighths, birdsong:
redwings cackling outside the sitting hut
this shimmering morning; in shared practice:
breath after breath, in song, in asana;
in your bright eyes as we rise from our mats
and seek refuge in what we cannot know:
the great mystery of the universe
and its home I keep for us in my heart.

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