On the apothecary’s shelf

I am become an apothecary
I am become an alchemist.
The jars lining my shelves
are full of strange and wondrous objects
moving and ethereal, like light
rather than tangible shapes.
I take down this one and
hold it in my two warm hands.
This jar is filled with my sadness.
I hold it close to my heart
like a fretful baby,
only soothed by the closeness of
its mother’s heartbeat.
I embrace this jar of sadnesses
to soothe and calm them
letting each emotion rise and
overflow and dissipate from the
attention of loving care.

On the apothecary’s shelf
this jar holds disappointment,
this one anger, this one meanness and
this one selfishness.
In the middle of the shelf
stands a jar of water,
shining and bright as if filled
with silver moonlight.
A jar of mindfulness.
Each water droplet
a moment of mindfulness,
imperceptibly filling, flooding the jar,
spilling out, overflowing
into the other jars,
washing away the sadness, anger and meanness,
like marbles of light
dancing atop a surging wave of mindfulness,
turning the seeds of despair,
hopelessness and frustration into
happiness, compassion and joy,
filling the jars of darkness with smiles,
transforming each sadness into a
tiny flower of resilience.

With this jar of mindfulness
I am become an alchemist,
watering each seed to nurture and
transform it into a
golden flower of mindfulness.
© 22 May 14