A Poem of a layperson: Part I

A. Hannah Spadafora
3 days ago
2 min read

A Poem of A Layperson

1:49

A Poem of a layperson: Part I

I move closer to Nirvana

By the presence and attention

Worthy of every moment of life—

Not just the quiet,

The easy,

The planned,

And the expected.

That’s what they say,

And sitting atop

A black and white mandala

Embroidered on a meditation cushion

Or walking step by step

Over grassy knolls and concrete sidewalks

With a focus on the immediacy of existence,

I’ve seen it to be true—

For a minute, anyway

Here and there, anyhow

In between recurrent marveling

At revealing glass reflections

Exposing the infinite ways

Fixations steal peace

And bogus ideas serve as panaceas

To the disquiet

Seeping through the intervals

In the silent moments.

If only I were to

Always walk into the now,

Across an unclouded world—

Undolled up reality

Seen fully, consistently,

With clear eyes and unobstructed view

If only I were to

Shatter the mirror

Reflecting all the ways

I fall so short of enlightenment

But I am a layperson,

So I’ll just be here forging daily life—

Quotidian practices,

Approaches, encounters,

And occasional

Nirvana-embodied reactions,

Trying to maintain hope—

This is a terrible start

But

Maybe I can still

Find some consideration and compassion

Maybe I’m a flawed practitioner

But

Hopefully I can make

Effort count for something

Maybe I’m still wading in the muck

But

Perhaps I won’t yet

Drown

Eightfold: Zen Poetry for Blindly Clasping Beings - Poetry book by A. H. Spadafora, out now

Eightfold: Zen Poetry for Blindly Clasping Beings is a collection of sixty poems that reflect the author’s continual conversation with secular Buddhist thought on human nature, the struggles of existence, and the self-made and human-crafted challenges of modern life. These poems center on a layperson’s striving to find presence in the world, offering contemporary perspectives on Buddhist philosophy, Zen meditation, and traditional stories, koans, and teachings.

Now available as e-book, audiobook, and paperback at zen-chaos.net/zcw-bookstore plus additional formats at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Apple Books, Lulu, and Kobo.

A. H. Spadafora is an author, freelancer, animal lover, and booknerd who lives in the Atlanta area with underused degrees and borrowed cats. She is currently working on multiple manuscripts and juggling gig work while seeking out the right full-time opportunity. Writing has remained the one constant throughout her life—a passion that has shaped her journey alongside the search for survival, purpose, and the chance to do good in the world. Published works include her debut poetry collection, Moments of Peace (2013) and her latest work, Eightfold. She is also the founder of Zen Chaos Writing, offering freelance services, books, and merchandise.