the buddha of questions

you are a god,

the buddha of questions

whose answers are scrambled
in your mind.

but i want you to know that

who and how are the clay of why,
where and what are beyond your reach,
and in your lap you cradle when.

when do i?

a stranger,
your only friend,
your right hand standing on the left,
and all that remains of you.

who am i?

anxious, perching on a branch,
bending it,
riding the nauseous down- and up-
swing, off guard,
taking wing and
moving on to the next branch–
bending it.

and how am i?

because the answers do not
fit the questions,
because my heart beats way too fast at the sight of you,
because red is everything inside me–
refried, hot to the touch,
spicy, and staining.

why am i?

in your gut,
from your diaphragm,
on your breath as dense
as love can be,
exhaled in your sigh
(allusion in sound).

where am i?

gold and silver plated,
iron, steel,
helmeted, lanced.

what am i?

when all the stars are blank
and not for the giving,
and the fear of the dark and cold
is choked and airless,
when the final gasp is soundless,
when only the moment matters.

(From Like. Love. Hate. Available at Amazon.com and Smashwords)

© Sweepy Jean and Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World, 2013

Hurricane Preparations

Sometimes I think I’m the type who doesn’t follow the crowd when in fact I am no different from anyone else.

Hurricane Irene is set to hit New Jersey pretty badly tomorrow. Until yesterday, as usual, I barely paid attention to the continuous news reports about the storm, particularly since I live a good distance from the shore.

But then, I started hearing that filling stations were running out of gas, even as far inland as we are, and my job formulated a contingency plan for notifying us of a possible office closure on Monday. I began thinking maybe I should prepare, even though I felt conflicted about potentially contributing to bottlenecks and shortages.

Be that as it may, like everyone