earth note 583

canopy waving
leaves turning over
like hands opening to rain
or an ocean surf
or a corner of the world
that can't be bought

i never understood

much about the buddha
except the stillness of the form
in the heat
in the afternoon

before the monsoon

your body will drip
like a rubber tree
water not blood
is where the river begins

if the soul could speak

it would begin
with a whisper
that you might not hear

once in a rainforest

i heard but never saw
a waterfall
laughing in steady rhythm
     like a heartbeat

--- e b bortz