Even the Buddha had a bad back,
I think as I shake out my leg.
It has fallen asleep
while I have been sitting
in the same position
for a long, long time
and stubborn, I didn’t want to move.
I notice the urge to chastise my leg
as if it were a small child
caught napping during class,
though it’s my mind
that needs a talking to.
Even the Buddha had visitations
with doubt, I think as I wrestle
with doubt myself. Though I
plan only to arm wrestle,
doubt pins me flat to the ground
and sits on me full weight
for a long, long time.
I don’t struggle.
Doubt, I say, I have nothing
to prove to you today.
And to my surprise,
it gets up and walks away.
I notice it is limping.
Perhaps a bad back.
Perhaps in its enthusiasm
to use me as a cushion
for a long, long time,
its leg has fallen asleep.