"Non-Stick Pans"

For decades now, 
   Attachment has 
   loomed 
   over me.  
And, as a meditating Buddhist, 
   under me,
   as well . . . 

Warned by those 
   infinitely wiser than I,
   more patient than I,
   more virtuous than I,
About  
   the lure,
   the enticements,
   the very real dangers of, 
   Attachment . . . 

Yes, 
   I have contemplated, 
   even heeded 
   those words of wisdom.

Only to realize, 
   ultimately,
   that I am attached to 
   Non-Attachment. 
Actually,
   to people and things that
   create the illusion of
   Non-Attachment.  
Like non-stick pans . . .

   Or —

   People who look antagonistic,
      but turn out to be completely glowing . . . 

   Progressive activists who somehow manage
      to get conservatives on board . . . 

   Arriving late to an appointment,
      only to find that the other person didn’t even show up . . .
   
   Art that straddles multiple styles, 
      effortlessly . . .

   Films that veer back and forth between
      comedy and drama . . .

   Songs that sound like they're in a predictable rhythm, 
      but aren't . . . 
   And songs that sound like they're in an odd rhythm, 
      but aren't . . . 
  
   People wearing civil clothing vs. animal-evoking clothing . . .

   Home-cooked food that's as good as a great restaurant . . .   

   Objects made so well that they appear to be Immortal . . . 

   Multi-purpose furniture . . . 
  
   Houses that blend into trees . . .

   Buildings that blend into the sky . . .    

   Pianos that sound like rhinestones, 
      or like the ghostly thumping of Death
      knocking at the door to borrow some eggs . . .  

Yes,
   though I now see the illusion more clearly,
   I’m still Attached
   to my non-stick pans . . .

July 2019

 

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©2019, Michael Smolens