Today is the air I have in my lungs
after twenty-two days of meditation
with Deepak and Oprah online.

I percolate on the power
of Sanskrit and English,
if my mantra matters

in words at all.
Or if you get it where you get it;
and the meaningless of a line like—

sprigs move the shaft of a century’s beak
is not really postmodern, avant garde at all,
(derivation of “French and gay”).

But there is a point finally
and words do have meaning
contextually, to break us

and save us, très gay
flamboyant words,
theatrical and absurd words,

full of their sober enlightenments
before they get drunk
and leave us stranded at parties.