Acquiring the Taste

("Reflections", 2023, original encaustic) Acquiring the Taste What is it that makes life meaningful? What is it that makes us whole? Somewhere deep within Is the quiet place Of peace and serenity A secret healing garden That has open doors for us all. And it doesn’t matter which one we take, What matters is simply finding it, entering Acquiring the taste To return again and again Making it a habit of mind A beautiful obsession Of the light that knows no dark. It’s not hard to do, entering this space, It doesn’t even involve work or effort, The work and effort Is simply remembering, recollecting This which is our birthright, and So allow the faith to bloom On its own, in its own way and time. The work is thus just getting out of the way Not bringing our usual haul of baggage To the sacred Remembering instead to notice and enjoy What is simply here and now Needing no addition or subtraction No condition or preparation. What is and always has been More intimate than breath, More subtle than substance More pervasive than space Clearer than sunlight Lighter than air, and More terrifying than anything imaginable. (2/21/24)