Poem for Siddhārtha Gautama of the Shākyas: The Original Buddha

You say, “Close your eye to the butterfly!”
I say, “Don’t blink!”

Notes:

From Directed by Desire: The Complete Poems of June Jordan (2005), Copper Canyon Press, © 2005, 2023,  June M. Jordan Literary Estate Trust. Reprinted by permission.

This poem is part of the portfolio “Our Way Home: June Jordan.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the November 2023 issue.

Source: Poetry (November 2023)