The moment defined in a single stick
all that exists, contained in this one thing
that is no thing really, in a world of skewed values.
Separate from its tree
how could it be anything other
than a lifeless stick?
Yet, to this dog, in this here now
the stick, endowed with the holy power
of concentration, is everything.
In the shape of a sword or even a cross
it matters not in the eyes of the dog
whose single thought is occupied.
How would it be to live in this truth:
That the thing has no meaning
but what we imbue?
Attention given fully, is akin to Grace
that opens up harmonious space
in the world of form and forgetfulness.
So keep the symbols, be they cross or stick
as pointers to that, which lies beyond
the scheme of things.
But remember their nature – fleeting, not whole
merely the signposts to guide us home
to presence.
© Áine Fortune 2019