Deep Cleansing

Deep Cleansing 

Living in times of indiscriminate 

bombings, war crimes, empty store 

shelves, rude people running   

rampant in every business, 

and my own desperate attempt

to keep my shadow from

reacting to all the chaos 

and confusion, there may 

be nothing left to do 

than prepare a deep cleansing. 

Light the biggest sage bundle 

to set aflame and loose the sacred 

smoke to rising. Gather my mala

too, then recite the one hundred 

eight incantations of the mantra 

for compassion, as my fingers

 play over each bead, om mane 

padme hum, om mane padme hum…

 In breath, out breath, in breath, 

out breath, releasing all that 

is not mine to own, settling 

in, allowing a deep cleansing 

via both sage and mantra, 

to set my constant yearning free.

©Paul Goldman April 11, 2022

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