I am Malcom X

I am Malcom X
I am Longchen Rabjam
I am a poor sinner
A hellish being, a ghost
I will do whatever is necessary

I am happy and exalted
I am destitute and sad
I am free and untrammeled
I am living on the path

I am trapped by karma
I am tortured by life
Reduced to servitude I
Climb rickety ladders for money
And pay it to my ex-wife

I am a miserable alcoholic
I take drugs huddled in a dark alley
I do puja in the middle of the night
With peanut butter, bread and Southern Comfort

In the dark at 2:00 am by cold waters
In light rain I write supplications
To Guru Rinpoche and then by morning

I walk the street and argue with myself

I see Buddhas on every CVS shelf
Beings transmigrate on the County bus
Like a dog I long for a pretty young bitch
Like a yogi I contemplate impurity and death

I neglect my health and don't eat for days
I eat too much and then throw up
I do asanas and run on cool forest paths
By waterfalls I meditate on love and compassion
For nagas and spirits of mountain and stream

Worn out I sit I streaming videos for days
Watch the confused human beings' big drama
Watching mind I see hope and fear
Birth and death unfolding again and again