reverb11: Let it Go

Day4 - Addition through subtraction - What have you let go of this year?

2:24 to 4:32

a.m. every night;

behind my eyes,

a flashing, ever flashing.

A torn retina

of flashing thoughts;

night after night.

Not nightmares;

madness.

A fist of thoughts

grabbing me,

pounding me.

Look at this.

Look at this.

See what you made me do.

There is nowhere,

no way

to look away.

The fist flashes

and grabs another thought;

pounding me.

This is worse;

look at this.

Now you’ve done it;

Look at this.

Behind my eyes,

my fist of failures

flashing.

You will never.

You will never.

You will never.

Until I

take a moment,

take a breath;

you are my mind,

you are not me.

I am this breath;

One breath, two,

three to ten.

I am this breath;

take a breath;

give it back.

Let it go.

Breathe in,

receive;

breathe out,

return;

receive;

return.

Take a moment;

give a moment;

let it go.

Fall away.

I have studied meditation and Buddhism for years, but only understood it intellectually. Only this year, have I learned how to calm my thoughts and let them fall away, thanks to the books and videos of Karen Maezen Miller.   http://www.karenmaezenmiller.com/videos

While meditation has nothing to do with sleep, the calming breath can be used at any time of the day or night. This has added hours to my sleep and, surely, years to my life.