Caroline Johnson: "Hauling Water"

I’m not a swimmer, but
I’ve swum for 20 years
and in the water I find
a pool of prayer and sunlight,
a lap of Buddha without numbers,
a dedication to peace,
a moment of maturation,
meditation,
signing to the deaf with
free-style kick,
sliding through to numbers
on a journey of void.

Emptiness can fill you
like the hollow hive of a bee.
Joy is not a lazy pot of honey
but a process of
strength, courage
and focusing on
the inner path.
Leaves swirl in the ripples,
are rolled away,
now.


 
"Hauling Water" by Caroline Johnson. Text as published in Buddhist Poetry Review (June 2013). © Caroline Johnson. Presented here by poet submission.

Art credit: Untitled image by unknown photographer.