Little Buddha

little buddha

begging alms

smiling zen

of ganja charms

humble pilgrim

of the gentle rain

warms his body

on a subway grate

lonely street

in the frigid cold

a prostrate offering

collecting tolls

scruffy denizen

in dire straits

is it given to you

to ask and wait?

ringing mantra

in chanting voice

got a dollar?

pedestrian choice

thank the fates

bay street man

ring the karmic bell

and clink the can

the yogic flyer

perched on his mat

with sufficient coin

can get some crack

when his carpet lands

magic drained

he'll doff the hat

and score again

malevolent heap

in a thrift-store coat

forever camped

where nothing grows

in the noxious fumes

that perfume and choke

squats the human cost

of the globalized yoke

come tomorrow who

will be on the street

is it me or you

in this economy?

~efb