What Soamiji Said
\nby
\nRadiance Angelina Petro<\/p>\n
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There are contests in Alaska
\nto vote for the fattest bear,
\nand somehow people find a way
\nto rig the voting. People have been known
\nto cheat during fishing tournaments\u2014
\nstealing fish from city aquariums
\nand pretending they caught them.
\nA man in New Jersey built a boat
\nin his house, and had to tear down
\nthe wall to get it outside.
\nGarden warblers are finicky eaters.
\nAttar\u2019s donkey went back and forth
\nthe same journey over and over
\ngetting nowhere. I meditate every day,
\nand it\u2019s the only time thoughts about
\ncooking shows and people in Italy
\nlifting paintings and parading them in the streets
\ncross my mind. \u201cHave some compassion
\nfor your soul,\u201d Soamiji said. I try to believe
\nthis is all going somewhere. But I too
\nhave a boat inside, and there\u2019s even a snake
\nat my feet unable to unravel. I\u2019m not going to give up.
\nI\u2019m willing to tear down the wall
\nand lift the snake. I will find the right food
\nfor the warblers, and feed Attar\u2019s donkey
\nmouthfuls of grass for its efforts, and someday\u2014
\nI will have compassion for my soul.<\/p>\n
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