This is France,
but we are not at Lourdes,
nor Chartres,
nor Saint Michel.
We practice together,
but this is no stupa in Vietnam,
nor a shrine at Bodh Gaya.
There are no holy temples here,
no Taj Mahal,
nor Stonehenge.
The sacred sites
are in ourselves—
our steps
our stories
mindfully lived
and fully shared.
We bring awareness as our alms—
attention polished beyond indulgences.
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This is France,
but we are not at Lourdes,
nor Chartres,
nor Saint Michel.
We practice together,
but this is no stupa in Vietnam,
nor a shrine at Bodh Gaya.
There are no holy temples here,
no Taj Mahal,
nor Stonehenge.
The sacred sites
are in ourselves—
our steps
our stories
mindfully lived
and fully shared.
We bring awareness as our alms—
attention polished beyond indulgences.
Flowing hearts our only offerings.
Our steps gesture into sacred space
as inner seeds ripen
into fleetingly crystalline awareness
of all that is ordinary and
sun-ripened holy.
Kate O'Neill
Cambridge, Massachusetts
