I remove the thorns, I remove the spear that I used to pierce the Christ on his way stumbling up the hill with the cross,

the pointed beak of hatred

that pierces the head, the face, the mind,

the nails piercing the hands and feet. I confess, I atone,

whatever it takes, I am the Master returning many lifetimes

to atone and it is done. The lovemaking is the atonement,

the union, there is nothing else. The karma is not punishment.

It is training ground. your sins are forgiven, the lama is pleased.

do it in memory of me. Stigmata of the crucifixion,

hands and feet,

entry and exit points. the lotus of the mouth.

the lotus of the yoni,

the mouth of the sphincter, contact points of inside and outside,

sense organs, we purify the elements with water, the aggregates

with a crown upon the head, the activities with the name.

There is a brown leaf suspended in mid air. it is still a full month

before the beginning of autumn but it is already busting out of the gate. Your heart is broken and my heart is broken,

let’s sit together.

this catch in my mind, do it with me, but he does it with her.

Little birdie, bobble head,

there’s a feather sticking out above your beak.

Take care, beloved, stay close, it is dark in the valley of death,

our shared breath the vow, but suddenly you are gone and I am gone, faces, reflections, no longer existing as separate,

the two become One...