mindfulness exercise #4
i’m supposed to watch
each thought drift as leaves
beneath the bridge
down the river,
out of sight.
my thoughts retaliate, however,
holding hands as they dam
beside the bridge—
the river of my consciousness
now rising,
flooding the banks
of my mind.
desperately I work to free the leaves
yet this in itself is another thought
stuck in the thick of it.
am I the current?
or does the current carry me?
oh but i am not my thoughts.
right.
perhaps a beaver
is a more accessible means
of managing these linked-up leaves.
soon webbed feet and broad tail
are whacking away
in the water.
intent on the beaver,
i suddenly realize the leaves
have retreated at last
down the river,
the remaining judgments
dissipating in the breeze.
“well that’s one way to do it,” the facilitator said.
a final leaf floats by: i'm going to need a bunch more beavers.