Fwd: [NondualitySalon] A Meditative Candle

[Guest guest]

> Fri, 12 Feb 1999 05:43:16 -0800

> NondualitySalon

> Madhya Nandi <madhya (AT) mail (DOT) aracnet.com>

> [NondualitySalon] Re: A Meditative Candle

> Cc:

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> Friends;

>

> The comment that Melody made about the Interstate jamming up

> reminded me of this poem that I wrote:

>

>

>

>

> Christ Climbed Up

> or,

> The Silent Sermon

>

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>

> He is that Man,

> a God-person:

> "Jesus," whom some

> years ago I put aside

> but last night

> in a dream

> awakened me

> to a scene on

> Interstate Five, jammed,

> horns blaring, driver's

> heads poked out windows,

> "What the fuck's going on

> here, goddammit?"

>

> Someone shot a pistol--

> "Crack!" into the air.

> Few noticed. "Hey,

> watch it with that

> thing, buddy."

>

> In a matter of moments

> dark clouds began

> to gather and thicken.

> Headlamps popped on

> illumining license plates and

> rear view mirrors.

> Distant thunder sounded,

> rumbling closer. Horns

> improvised an acerbic

> dialogue. Flashlights glowed

> like lasers or maybe

> vorpil swords.

>

>

> Rain began and hail came

> with windshield shattering

> force. A firefight of lightning

> waged in the in-country of

> feuding clouds.

>

> As every eye turned skyward,

> the earth groaned and heaved,

> opening a crack belching

> green and purple mists.

>

> Fingers appeared first,

> grappling the wet asphalt--

> a head followed, bald

> on top, but indeed, a beard,

> long and dark, peppered

> with mud.

>

> The Redeemer pulled his

> body up and onto I-5.

>

> Horns died in a cascade

> around the man. Lights

> flashed in his face.

> His hands shielded his eyes.

> "Hey, cool it, assholes," yelled

> a compassionate motorist.

> The beams shifted onto

> Jesus' wet, dirty pajamas.

> He wore no underwear.

> He lowered his hands and

> squeegeed water from

> his bullet-smooth head.

>

> Bending from the waist,

> the Savior gripped each

> side of the fuming crack and

> muscled the blacktop shut.

>

> Jesus sighed.

>

> He looked at the mass of

> stalled automobiles,

> six lanes north,

> six lanes south.

>

> He began to speak.

> No words came. His lips

> moved but no sound emerged.

>

> "Louder, talk louder!"

> said a woman's voice.

> "We can't hear you."

> He cranked up his body.

> I saw his neck strain with

> effort--"Must be shouting,"

> I thought. Still no sound.

>

> "Hey, put up or shut up,

> dude," a voice shouted.

> "Yeah." "Yeah." A refrain

> of agreement.

>

> Jesus stopped speaking

> and his gaze swept

> the drenched crowd.

> A horn began to wail.

> Jesus raised an arm and

> motioned us to follow.

>

> He threaded his body

> between steaming cars and

> off onto the shoulder.

> People watched him climb

> the fence dividing I-5 from

> the cement viaduct headed

> toward the Pacific.

>

> Jesus paused, straddling the

> fence. Barbed wire tore his

> skin open and when a hand

> signaled us to come along,

> we saw blood seeping from

> the wounds.

>

>

> Christ climbed down into

> the littered, barren canal.

>

> I watched a million motorists

> drown in expectation as Jesus

> walked across the littered aquaduct.

>

> A little ways out, he turned

> a third time, raising his arms

> in a "Come follow me" gesture.

>

> Autos came to life.

> Engines sputtered and roared.

> The rain stopped. Clouds parted.

> A few of us watched the distant

> Voice in the Wilderness hike up

> the slippery embankment

> a quarter mile away.

>

> Ten minutes later cars had

> moved into currents and twelve

> lanes of freeway again flowed.

>

> A woman, and man and myself,

> watched the shadow figure

> climbing a second fence and

> dropping off beyond.

> The woman said, "You know,

> that's the second time this has

> happened to me-- in the last

> six months. What are the

> odds of that, do you think?"

> "Don't ask me," I said,

> "I'm not really here."

> The woman shook her dripping,

> blonde head. She walked off,

> muttering. "Second time in six

> months. Unbelievable."

>

> The man on my right said,

> "If you're not here, I'm not

> here, either." He dodged

> speeding traffic to reach his

>

>

> vehicle still blocking the

> southbound diamond lane.

> I had no car, of course,

> asleep all this time.

>

>

> In the morning, I woke

> with a pounding headache

> and a cloud of exhaust

> hovering over the bed.

>

> I crossed my legs to

> meditate and surrendered

> time to the throb

> behind my eyes.

> Pain receded and emptiness

> began to accumulate.

> Thoughts, like wisps of

> high clouds, floated,

> disappearing.

> Some time later, the

> still, wordless Voice of

> Jesus came,

> and I followed.

Madhya Nandi

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