THE NAIL*

All there is 

is the nail.

In other words,

the present moment. 

The present is 

what grounds us

to our lives.

It is really 

all we can

hold on to.

Any imagined framing 

we impose on to

experience, which

is usually mixed with 

a fixation on 

the past 

or the future,

is merely artifice.

Nothing is really

ever what we think

it will be.

Not courage.

Not fear.

Not love. 

Not anger.

Not even 

mindfulness

or compassion.

Take the picture

off the wall.

Stare into the faded  

blank space that remains

and the nail hovering 

above it.

This is all we have.

Let the rest go,

the framing

the wiring and mounts.

Embrace the emptiness

of what is.

*Inspired by Pema Chödrön's, 

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times