N  a  p a  l  m     H  e  a  l  t  h     S  p  a  :     R  e  p  o  r  t     2  0  1  2

 

 

MARC OLMSTED

 

 

JEWEL OF ACTIVITY LEAVING EARTH

 

“Teacher Death I do thank you” – Allen Ginsberg

 

 

Dungsé Rinpoché passed away.”

 

I couldn't do anything

then just hugged my cat

and lay down

and went to sleep

in the late morning

 

 

*     *     *

 

 

NEW YEAR

 

Woke to that

"2012" disaster porn

Cusack movie

on TV with sound off

fell asleep

woke and they were

playing it again

 

***

 

Lily 15 years old

shakes black Japanese bell

for the ritual

death of my root teacher

 

Dream: I'm in my meditation cabin sitting on the floor in the dark, getting something ready from my bag, when the door flies open, there's a silhouette, a young man with blazing light behind him, outside day, I'm startled awake - 

 

 

*     *     *

 

 

BACK TO SANTA CRUZ

 

Shadow of the train’s mist

on the concrete wall

of an old company building  

ducks in a dirty pond  

strange hearse of my imagination  

junkyard detritus  

shop sign 

Best damn materials made!

 

***

 

Depression sets in,

sleeping hours in the dirty little cabin,

the dirt is all mine. 

Two long naps and a full night’s sleep. 

I was so drunk with my teacher’s mind. 

Now the blues. 

I missed a ride to the city to see my wife & cat. 

Trying to be butch,

Nietzschean,

samurai,

remembering my tattoos.

 

***

 

Walking up the path doing Dorje Drolod practice

a strange black dog runs down feverish barks at me,

I hold up my satchel protecting groin,

but calm repeating OM MANI PEME HUNG

twice aloud to comfort and he charges

on down the hill to the stupa.

 

 

*     *     *

 

 

TO NY

 

Plane over dry brown dirt

long past Rocky Mt. Shambhala Center,

consecrated stupa of Zuni Pueblo

going to me my root teacher’s body

in upstate New York

itself somewhere in transit in ice truck below –

sleep lack only a few hours

is this plane haunted? –

what spirits like to ride along

parasitic through iron bird air? 

 

TV screen back of chair one row up

I glance through the seat crack

at travel commercial big white stupa of Buddha mind –

glance out window to twin witch hat smoke stacks 

nuclear power plant below

 

***

 

now in a sort of car port motel...

 

given set of instructions & schedule

following it and then finding it demolished

cartoon Wiley Coyote yanking on a rope

he gets to the end and

rope attached to nothing

hanging in space

 

***

 

Snow with bright

prayer flags

The body of the

guru soon brought

home

skeletal trees

upstate N.Y.

beware of

black ice

on the road

 

 

*     *     *

 

 

FOR PELBAR

 

haiku weather

we are two crows - snow on

mountain, gray in hair  

 

***

 

huge procession...

all with hats and banners

standing for hours in the snow

centurions in some weird pre-battle scenario

waiting for an ice truck

to bring the body...

 

***

 

Return return strong armpit musk

black night return to San Francisco,

ceremonies done weary happiness

my Buddhist teacher in my heart

in the black night abyss

out the tiny jet porthole window

 

 

*     *     *

 

 

SUPERNOVA FADING

 

Then back to work –

the current fades

‘wisdom criminal’ you called yourself

Mabuse Prof. Moriarty

above all the Joker

other brainiac outlaws

offer their respects

to your Coyote Trickster

How amazing!

Emaho!

OMG!!

OMFuckingG!!!