(after the 1915 drawing “Meditation,” by Jav Zrzav)

Saplings rise above me,
reminders of my place
and part in this incarnation.
Eyes gently shut so I may see
the budding One within me, glowing
against the darkness of not-sleep,
the meter of my breath forgotten,
I open the rest of Me, welcoming
whatever comes to join my Path.
My left hand resting on my breast —
someone did that for me once,
in a world so vastly old and different —
reminds of the nurturing Mother.
My right is crossed above my heart,
not as some sign of my allegiance
but of my mortality, that what I fail
will try me again the next time here,
while tests passed will form foundations.
I am not yet One with Everything,
but I’ve been blessed with the chance.