Always be mindful

Always be mindful

by dan ankers

In all ways be mindful,

be mindful;

Always be mindful

With great pains

Return

to that place

of wisdom

once I get burned

here

(through the system)

Mindfulness

in this present-time of madness

(all present-times are present times of madness)

Thankfulness is essential

I’m thankful for the fact

that I am thankful

Always be mindful they say

(I think I’ve heard someone say it, once)

Now, there, I’ve said it for myself

so, 

that’s that

The wind in the trees tells a story

I believe

Through the form of a cosmic metaphor

that no self aware

woman, child, or man

may un-perceive

Once it has invaded,

canals of the

Ear

Or the symbol rich

treasure troves of the mind

as they are

For even without ears,

through the skin and through the eyes

Her messages may be understood

Chiefly among those lessons:

The conditions of things

depends upon the THINGS

in question,

themselves

Her cousin the Ocean floats a similar story in a bottle

as does his kin, the invisible and majestically roiling

wind

As he both accepts and fights

across limitless configurations

of gnashing and thrashing

Much like an organism

buffeted violently

by

the seen and unseen things of the cosmos

All pointing toward one

viable conclusion:

This Universe is vast,

seductive, and amazing

So, Get down on your knees

or stand up

and start praising

It really doesn’t matter

So long as you can

see

That universe lives.

Its chest cavities heave

and it does all of the things we, ourselves, can do

here and now

I believe

This strange figure

even speaks up and dreams

new ideas

via combinations: most clever

(or persistent,

at the very least)

How much like ourselves!?!?!

The universe lives

and it breathes unseen air

and it asks for nothing

but our acceptance

of the things that are there

Acceptance

Along this forever place

of what we may encounter

When counted, sorted,

and 

Tallied

Endless mountains, endless valleys

Though we do walk through uncharted chasms

they’re not so scary

like the creepy shadows, cast upon a window

outside of a child’s birthday party

already set in motion

tis only a commotion

The fear we perceive

is very often a mask

we must believe in

as most surely,

is that eternal

birthday party;

on that Eternal weekend

Oh, the luxuries I did just enjoy

Or the freedoms I did there employ

To have pondered such whimsical nonsense, at all

and to not be one of those, swept up

by the gnashing teeth in the ocean

or the sudden and urgent whims

of the wind’s mighty gales

ravaging across, the sleeping lands of our earth

undeterred 

Filling sails

Like so many of us

in this panoramic, lush and dangerous world

I get to choose what kind of masks I wear today

Some are not so lucky

at all

As I am

As we are

I need to remember:

Be Mindful