some find joy in life
some small instance
fully present giving themselves
to the moment, no matter
for the good of the whole
the band playing
on the deck of the Titanic
until the cold scream of the Atlantic
drowns out their violins
the buddhist monk
sitting in mediation pose
still and silent
doused in gasoline and set on fire
breathe in the searing flame
breathe out the charred cells
never moving enveloped
in awareness beyond perception
his body turns to ash
and crumples still posed
onto the asphalt
his ashes a protest
of religious persecution
the old whale who puts himself
between the harpoon boat
and the young they are chasing
his life fulfilled giving others
a chance
even the woman in the car
behind you in the mirror
alone act the signal
giving a homeless guy
a bag from the drive-through
as the crows mob
a hawk over the intersection
and the cloudless blue expanse above
drowns out the politics on the radio
or just the fact of our existence
the gift of life recognized
all of us confronting
our unknowable expiration date
staring it in the face
and whispering a joyous
hallelujah to the sun
no matter what
like a hot eye burning
in our foreheads
all of us together in this moment