Father Daughter Bond
She was an undergraduate at Georgetown Her father was a successful, ambitious, and wealthy man She and he had an arrangement That was based on total candor Mid-evening he would call her from New York…
It’s Pounded into Our Heads since Kindergarten
It’s pounded into our heads since kindergarten It gradually inflates the metallic balloon of the self It feeds delusion 24/7 It renders invisible the needs of others It’s A.P. everything It’s resumé padding It’s the…
Norman Morrison
Now, maybe some U.S. citizens over 65 Remember the name “Norman Morrison” But many people in Vietnam of all ages Know that name The young Quaker immolated himself in 1965 Deliberately close to Robert McNamara’s…
People and Projects
1. Costa’s a film producer A Spanish gantser macher He can feel good about himself By helping the idealistic director Sebastian To realize his dream of making a revisionist movie About those dissident, trouble-making priests…
American Political Morality
The Nixon tapes record the following urging Of President Richard Nixon to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger During the Vietnam War: “I just want you to think big, Henry For Christ sakes the only place…
Bella Levenshteyn’s Jewish Litany
Dear Shimmelstoy I’ve been thinking about our last conversation And while I have some sympathy For those who agonize about Jewish identity For me anyway it’s gotten clearer In these past few years Thank you…
Does the Buddha Smile in Hell?
Does the Buddha smile in hell? Many devoted practitioners would immediately say “Yes, of course, he is the Buddha after all” Equanimity Detachment Vast knowledge of the chain of cause and effect Would he smile as…
Mark Chmiel is Made of Non-Mark Chmiel Elements
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches out of the Buddhist tradition: There is no separate self capable of existing on its own One thing is connected to so much else The sheet of paper is made of…
Passing through Boca Raton and Joining the Buddhist Sangha for an Evening
This Jewish-looking Buddhist Serenely sitting seven feet away from me Her long braided black hair a mindful marvel and work of art Her half-smile that could make Thich Nhat Hanh himself weak in the knees…
Questions about the War Dead
When the statisticians in the Armed Services Tally up the war dead- Most recently In Iraq and Afghanistan- Do they include The veterans who commit suicide In country or back at home? How long in…