There’s a Buddha
on my mantle
that teaches me
how to be patient
with myself.
On the days
that I forget
he prays for me.
Unyielding devotion.
On the days
when my view
gets very narrow
and constricted
by fear
I rest my gaze
on him
and I am reminded
of love
of truth
and the unchanging
quiet and expansive
nature of existence.
We have a
very long history
this Buddha and I.
© Candace Kirby