69th Birthday Transmission
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
— Thoreau
Day two, early early morning group sit,
zendo floor tripodding with potential
great orthopedic cost, I can’t turn off itches or chatter.
Day four, bleary in a chair, contemplative-in-training
grappling with road kill, the lure of a laptop’s
warmth would sure feel good on my knees.
Day six, yogi monkeyminds forbidden
writing paper no less computers,
there’s zip chance for such a simple silent retreat solution.
Day eight, as my washed-out self tosses and turns in the dorm,
a discombobulated surgeon
threatens to perform a personalized snoroplasty.
Day ten, we harvest garden veggies.
At last the creek flows downhill, the pond comes alive.
I can hear my little heart quiver.
Gerard Sarnat authored 2010’s HOMELESS CHRONICLES, 2012’s Disputes, and 2014’s 17s. He’s a physician who’s setup/staffed clinics for the disenfranchised, CEO of healthcare organizations, and a Stanford professor. For Huffington Post reviews, reading dates including Stanford etc.; visit Gerard Sarnat.com