Secluded

Silence is preferred but not necessary.

Even in a crowd, wall-to-wall bodies roiling,

Channeling Zen, mindful inner peace

Lets one choose seclusion, solitude.

Unless one in the swarm punctures the bubble of

Stillness with an errant touch or word, shattering

Intentions to be locked inside oneself, like a diving bell

Open now to the chaos all around, cacophonous traffic,

Nirvana once reached becomes only a memory.

(September 29, 2018, Ionia Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility)