John McCarthy
Pollination
The surface area Of a secret life Meditating calmly
On the open palms Of a mantra made Out of man
Is how kindness Starts to become Aware of its flesh—
A candle respecting its wax, The wind respecting its transience, And then the body
Knowing it is wind Can carry kindness Evenly and everywhere.
Samadhi
siddhartha unfinished,binding folded backward,handfuls of lesson
bent bird wing ruffledon the coffee table.my body taking
time to takein its familial relationto creek-shore pebbles,
my bronze thoughtsstart to disturbthe universe, hinting
that I knowwhy it prefers silenceand stings us
when we make too muchnoise. my palms bracethe balance of objects
in front of mewhile the world behindsleeps shadowless
and evaporates withoutsound. and I walkmindful in-between.
John McCarthy has worked as an Editorial Assistant to Quiddity International Literary Journal and Public-Radio Program since the fall of 2008. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Burner Magazine, Haiku Page, Catfish Creek, and Ghost Ocean Magazine among others.
The surface area Of a secret life Meditating calmly
On the open palms Of a mantra made Out of man
Is how kindness Starts to become Aware of its flesh—
A candle respecting its wax, The wind respecting its transience, And then the body
Knowing it is wind Can carry kindness Evenly and everywhere.
Samadhi
siddhartha unfinished,binding folded backward,handfuls of lesson
bent bird wing ruffledon the coffee table.my body taking
time to takein its familial relationto creek-shore pebbles,
my bronze thoughtsstart to disturbthe universe, hinting
that I knowwhy it prefers silenceand stings us
when we make too muchnoise. my palms bracethe balance of objects
in front of mewhile the world behindsleeps shadowless
and evaporates withoutsound. and I walkmindful in-between.
John McCarthy has worked as an Editorial Assistant to Quiddity International Literary Journal and Public-Radio Program since the fall of 2008. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Burner Magazine, Haiku Page, Catfish Creek, and Ghost Ocean Magazine among others.