Enlightenment

by Marilyn Injeyan
MindFire
First Place, November 2000
Judged by John Simon


When her mother throws
a metal sugar jar at her dad,
leaving a dent in the wall,
the child appears calm.

She has studied Buddha,
has chosen to follow his path
accepts the dharma, his teachings
of peace and moderation.

Wearing a yellow robe,
she sits in the shade
of a fig tree and vows
to remain till answers come.

Her hair swept up
in a wisdom bump. Curls
combed to the right.
She’s drawn a mark between

her brows, wheels on her small
palms and the soles of her feet.
She’s in the lotus position.
No one in the house

notices her absence.
A hand fills her rice bowl.
She gathers filtered light
to bathe her mind, to drown

the screams and silences
and sweep away spilled sugar.