Familiar enough, they live in the same flat
Sleeping on the other side of paper walls
Phone calls muffled. Or clear as day
When nighttime drama has been peaked
Passing when scurrying
Off to work, out for a walk
Gone to the beach for a breather.
They politely nod with pleasantries and smiles
The flat is surrounded
By invisible but ever-present
Life forms
Who arrived recently
The three sages, the visitor, the novice
In the novitiate all strangers
We try hard. To be civil, kind, pleasant
We would do well to have a warm relationship
Sitting at breakfast on Tuesday morning
Master encounters the viejo leaving
“oh, hi”
Frequently those would be
The only two syllables to pass
Each of their lips
“We are here to guide, protect and educate”.
The disembodied women and children
Steeped in ages of tradition
Have found their way here. Or were they summoned?
Rising slowly the Master stops the flow
And cuts into recognized routine
“I have something for you,
I made it last night.”
That evening, Tuesday, another chance encounter
The docent, el viejo and the Master
Chat comfortably, alone, without the others
A quiet and peaceful cabal
The building was a shop
Or perhaps, a parts supply warehouse Which
Upon installation of sacred statues
Became a sanctuary. With a loft
Do you practice in a particular way?
Are you comfortable in the expectations
When your inevitable death arrives
Are your wills stout and resolute?
You have heard of Kabbalah, of course
The concepts strange to me
Numerology
I’ll stick to what I know, goodnight.
Let them go to slumberland
Attend the special space
Where they can see
A Pure Land