Linh Buddha

One beautiful morning
Linh Ha left home
and traveled far and near
across oceans and through jungles
until the day she met
a Buddha
and realized
that there was nowhere left to go

Good beautiful morning,
she said
as she approached an old man
who was sitting on a tree
that had fallen along
the side of the dirt road

Good beautiful morning

I’m Linh Ha

Some people call me Buddha

Our names our kind of similar

Yes,
but there’s really no difference
between you and me

Yeah,
we’re just different expressions
of the same thing

That’s right it, Linh Ha
You understand
Would like to join me
in silence?

Sure

And so Linh Ha sat down
next to Buddha on the tree
closed her eyes
and observed her thoughts
and the ever-increasing space between them

Hours passed
as if they were a single moment,
and when the sun
had begun to set
and the sky had filled
with purple and orange
and pink and red,
Buddha rose and said,
Dance
Dance, Linh Buddha

Linh Buddha stood and joined
Dancing Buddha
in the middle of the road,
closed her eyes
and danced
slowly
and gracefully,
flowing
into the evening

♫ ♫ ♫

And when she opened her eyes,
Linh Buddha saw
that she was alone

Undisturbed
by thoughts of the future
and of the past,
she gathered her things and set off
in the direction of the rising moon
while crickets and frogs
sang courting songs
and owls flew overhead

♫ ♫ ♫