In the Stillness of Night

In the stillness of night
(but for the horn blaring)
The window propped open
With a drumstick
I sit and I sit
Meditating as I go
Wearing old sweat pants
In full lotus unfolding
On a blue exercise mat
Navel and nose in theory aligned
Ears and shoulders too
The moment flickers
Like a candle shimmering
With each breath
Illuminating the vast emptiness
Within and without
Of the bottomless pit

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

This is a meditation poem written in the manner of Ryōkan (more or less) who was an 18th century Zen monk. One of the unique elements of Ryōkan's meditation poems is that they often incorporate references of specific meditation techniques, which is not to say that they are prescriptive but merely descriptive of of both his internal and physical state.