Robe of liberation
embodiment of emptiness
in prescribed form
once Brahmin garb
tattered strips of cloth
carefully stitched together
stitches made, pulled
and resewn, bits
of dharma worn
over the heart
wanting silence
beneath the Bodhi tree
awaiting the bell,
the dawn,
the triple recitation,
the three prostrations
Buddhas and Buddhas
In waiting, abiding
failure and compassion.