Extended Warranty and All

Yesterday my brother Hank and I spent a few hours going through a friend's storage locker on the far west side.  It's a task neither of us relished, as our friend John was something of a packrat and had stuffed away rusty old tools and household goods, along with stacks of bills and mailing circulars (from decades past), together with books, records, clothing and other personal effects.   John was also into technology and at one point in his life he had spent considerable time buying old computer equipment on E-Bay, much of which we found stashed away boxes - in some cases still encased in the bubble wrap from his seller.

There's really no better memento mori than old technology - nothing more demonstrative of the wonder and sadness of our own obsolescence.  It reminded me of this poem I had written several years ago, which I have decided to dust off, slightly revise and read at the memorial service we're holding later this afternoon.  For those of you unfamiliar with sanskrit, the word Parasamgaté (which is from the Heart Sutra) may be literally translated as going far beyond.

Extended Warranty and All

for M. John Matlaw

Suddenly it hit me

As they were fixing my Mac

Trying to keep the hard drive 

From spinning 

Out of control

Like it says in 

The Heart Sutra

No matter how well 

Life suits you

Each product feature

Also contains

This indelible flaw

Parasamgaté

It’s emptiness

And nothing more 

The raison d'être

Of every body

Even with the

Extended 

Warranty

And all