The Four Great Vows

To touch decay,
and feel the sharp grass
beneath your feet speaks
of promise that gets washed
away when a 3 year old
sips a beer and wonders
why he isn't loved.

The only things left were
its eyes. Green glass like
the marbles imply...and
it seemed to stare back
with mild regret because
it looked how you felt
only its soul was still
in Samsara.

"You're a little bitch,
you know that?"
Those thoughts still
in your head, the moment
you went to bed and
dreamt of freedom.
But what? Those
words could have
just as easily come from you.

Remember that sweet taste?
Cheap juice and stolen Tequila?
Call it a sunrise, and pour
another glass before you
lose the nerve. And all
you can recall is your
brothers face right before
the door slams. Just like the
cat's, barely touched with
disappointment.

Move on, as moments
are fleeting. The you
that's left can't help
the you that's left behind.
Just carry his picture and
hope you'll see each other
in the future.

Yet your conscience lends a hand
back and brings the past into tomorrow.
It wipes the suds
from the little one's lips, justifies
the middle one's moods, and
still you struggle to make sense
of the present.

Ah...Samsara...