Aspiring to Attend Protectors

Aspiring to Attend Protectors

Flash of terror, Helpless chipmunk in the talons of a hawk

Raven guards and laments for roadkill comrade raven

Slain prey offerings

Lost pets

Animal nature in all its cruelty and fear and hunger and instinct

Fear and aggression are the wayward brothers

The wolfpacks of necessity and cooperation

I tire of seeing death of the delicate

Warm faces today and lifeless bodies attracting flies tomorrow

Love gasps imagining their torment

Tears and sober presence seek out meaningfulness

But duty calls and one may as well do it as well as one can

But also seek to reflect on the words of sages

And forget them not in the wiles of pleasure and anger

And forget them not in the quiet of easy peaceful times

For ease and suffering dwell nearer to one another than it seems

Guilt and sorrow and wondering whether I have failed my friends

This is the bane of ships’ captains and protectors of beings

I wish to be in deed what I am in thought and in word

In this way duty is never ending and pervades all moments

All absorption is liable to be interrupted by duty

So may we dwell not in selfish pursuits

May we be unswayed by anger and laziness and indifference

Even small gestures sometimes yield results so may we neglect them not

Difficult as it may be – may we be vigilant even in our sloth and torpor

May we tend our state of mind

If we are having trouble meeting our commitments may we aspire to do so when we can’t

Giving up into self-assuaging is betraying those who need us

May we be true friends in all weather to all

Even now the fate of a fine furry friend is unknown

She is loved and missed and we may never know

I have seen death even today and know of its finality on this plane

Hope reigns for a while but reality often creeps in and sadness and doubt

These are just silly words, Actions are more powerful here

So off I go to peer

Ah she has returned. Most wonderful. But we shall never again see another girl.

Joy and Sorrow mix and mingle in the strange dance of life

May we all be relaxed and ready for death and transformation.