Ann McNeal

I Am Not the Buddha

The long wait on shore
far from traffic
pause in the drone
between the in-breath
and the out.
Heart-slam the sudden
splash, not for me
but dragonfly who is
or is not there
when ripples
die.

Walking back to the car
I slap a mosquito.
What is written on my hand?
I am not…

Originally published in Right Hand Pointing,
Issue 6, April 2005.