Metta Aspiration by Penny Smith & Mark Chmiel

Metta upon waking up in the morning
Metta upon waking up in snaked snarky traffic jam

Metta toward the beloved
Metta toward the janitor

Metta for those sitting in jail cells
Metta for your boss

Metta for all carpenters
Metta for all nurses

Metta upon yourself
Metta upon the earth

Metta for couples planning their weddings
Metta for 3rd year residents wide-eyed dreaming of sleep

Metta towards all expectations
Metta towards all boundaries and borders

Metta extended to refugees on South Grand
Metta extended to shoppers at Saks

Metta to desire
Metta to all of the on-going armed conflicts between our brothers and
sisters in North-West Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine,
Mexico, Nigeria, Iraq, Egypt, Central African Republic, Iran, Korea,
Kashmir, Israel–Palestine, Burma, Indonesia, India, Colombia Philippines, Peru,
Turkey, Uganda, DRC, CAR, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Yemen, Algeria, Mali,
Tunisia, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Nigeria, Thailand, Paraguay,
Russia, Lebanon, and Libya

Metta when seeing the faces on the bus at noon
Metta when noticing carefree youth on huge billboard

Metta to those you exclaim, “Thank you!”
Metta to those who bark, “Fuck you!”

Metta to those who have quit
Metta to the Middle Way

Metta while walking through homes on a landfill
Metta while rocking your nephew to sleep

Metta for the 106 murders in St. Louis since January: 1/6: SHOOTING
1/8: SHOOTING 1/8: STABBING 1/9: BEATING 1/11: SHOOTING
1/14: SHOOTING 1/20: SHOOTING 1/21: SHOOTING 1/21:
SHOOTING 1/21: SHOOTING 1/26: SHOOTING 1/26: SHOOTING
1/26: SHOOTING 1/27: SHOOTING 1/6: SHOOTING 1/28:
HOMICIDE 1/28: SHOOTING 2/1: SHOOTING 2/1: SHOOTING
2/3: SHOOTING 2/6: SHOOTING 2/7: SHOOTING 2/5: SHOOTING
2/9: SHOOTING 2/9: BEATING 2/11: BEATING 2/10: HOMICIDE
2/14: STABBING 2/14: STABBING 2/14: STABBING 2/16:
SHOOTING 2/16: SHOOTING 2/18: SHOOTING 2/27: SHOOTING
3/1: SHOOTING 3/1: SHOOTING 3/1: SHOOTING 3/4: SHOOTING
3/5: SHOOTING 3/7: SHOOTING 3/11: SHOOTING 3/11: RUN
OVER 3/11: SHOOTING 3/12: SHOOTING 3/13: SUSPICIOUS DEATH
2/22: SHOOTING 3/14: SHOOTING 3/15: SHOOTING 3/16:
SHOOTING 3/20: SHOOTING 3/26: BEATING 3/26: SHOOTING 3/26:
SHOOTING 3/30: SHOOTING 3/30: SHOOTING 4/2: SHOOTING 4/2:
SHOOTING 4/6: SHOOTING 2/8: SHOOTING 3/31: SHOOTING
4/7: SHOOTING 4/6: SHOOTING 2/23: SHOOTING 4/9:
STABBING 4/10: SHOOTING 4/12: SHOOTING 3/21: SHOOTING
4/18: SHOOTING 4/22: SHOOTING 4/21: SHOOTING 4/22:
HOMICIDE 4/22: SHOOTING 5/4: SHOOTING 5/6: STRANGLING
5/14: STABBING 5/18: SHOOTING 5/19: SHOOTING 5/18:
STABBING 5/19: STABBING 5/19: SHOOTING 5/16: SHOOTING
5/19: SHOOTING 5/12: SHOOTING 5/11: SHOOTING 5/21: SHOOTING
5/21: SHOOTING 2/23: SHOOTING 5/27: SHOOTING 6/1: SHOOTING
6/4: STRANGLING 6/9: SHOOTING 6/2: SHOOTING 5/11:
SHOOTING 6/16: SHOOTING 6/17: SHOOTING 6/22: SHOOTING
6/21: STABBING 6/22: SHOOTING 6/27: SHOOTING 6/27:
SHOOTING 6/29: SHOOTING 7/6: SHOOTING 7/5: SHOOTING
7/3: SHOOTING 7/6: ARSON 7/4: SHOOTING
Metta to the 60 year old man watching July 4th fireworks last Friday when he
was shot in the chest on Martin Luther King Drive

Metta for Nobel laureates
Metta for nobodies

Metta while walking through homes on a landfill
Metta while rocking your nephew to sleep

Metta to those who have hurt you
Metta to those who have opened their doors to strangers

Metta to five-year old Haley on Hartford and her nail business
Metta to guardian angels at the bar

Metta when looking in the mirror
Mirror when observing the July Fourth throngs

Metta to the couple who hasn’t danced with each other in over thirty years
Metta to your heart and all the beats you haven’t noticed

Metta to Lamaya and Lashona
Metta to Mikela and her newborn

Metta to each of your cells
Metta so fully even your liver smiles

Metta directed to the hometown team
Metta directed to the Chicago Cubs

Metta for the unknown
Metta for the past

Metta for the victims honored by the U.S. president
Metta for the victims unacknowledged by the U.S. president

Metta even when you’re in a bad mood
Metta within the moments right before you fall asleep

Metta to all potential Buddhas
Metta to all actual jerks

Metta in the awful moments
Metta in the wonderful moments

Metta because I am you
Metta because you are me

Metta today
Metta forever

 

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