On our first meeting, she

Described me as a “near Buddhist,”

Meaning, of course, that I had

The ascetic qualities of a monk.

And it was true that Siddhartha

Helped me lose my appreciation

For things. You learn first that

Attachment is suffering.

But Elizabeth Bishop was more

On my mind. Like her, I had

Lost things every day, and

Most of them didn’t matter...

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Fat stone Buddhas sit

In opulent gold temples

While priests beg for food.

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