Simmering Mindfulness

by Justine C. Tajonera

My mind is discordant
with noise,
gossip and advice,
music and opinion,
kindness and rebuke
all simmering
in one pot
of synapses.

I lean into a skillet
and remember the path
to this dish:
the chopping of the
onions as the morning
light streamed through
the curtains,
the chicken bones, flesh
and skin
boiling and filling
the room with
the smell of
broth.

There was silence
in the mindfulness of
cooking,
just as there is silence
in the mindfulness
of prayer.

There is nothing
that cannot be
a meditation
when you empty
your pot of
your noise

and fill it with
being,
purpose
and love.

(Feb. 9, 2010)
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/betsymartian/371100987/in/set-72057594055269648/