Where was this worm
until it reached
under foot
in the mouth
on the tongue?

A path-
dateless.
Journey-
lonely
subtle.

Life-
mysterous
in the flower
or in the ulcer.

A banyan tree
that has suffered
a thousand summers.
An elephant
wild on rut
stirring the forest.
A whale
that aborts
pregnant seas.
The emperor
who keeps the world
under his feet.

A worm
with its own body
it writes
and reads
the universe.

For this digambara23
each grain of sand
a demolished
shrine.