The Impermanence of All Things

i watched them for days
five days
a dozen monks
in shifts of four, five, six
working from different corners, sides, angles
there were so many layers hidden by layers upon layers

the moment it was complete
i was standing there
i'd seen them put the finishing touches on the lotus leaves
and ice the cake with the blue frosting along the very edge with scallop motions
i thought to myself
this is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen

the elder sanctified the newborn
then with silence
reached and scratched the freshly finished canvas

silently
violently
he swept up the rainbow
into a mound of grey

it was again but sand
the sand of time
artistic and colorful and desecrated
cut like a pie
mashed like potatoes
divided into vials like blood samples
distributed to those that wanted a piece of the wall

before the remains were
tossed
with reverance
into the lake at the bottom of the hill

i stayed in shock for the evening
then got back to living
ate dinner
read stories to my daughter
made love to my partner
and cried for more life

this vision, this experience
years later
still as vibrant as the colored sand
of the mandala
and the gold and red robes
of the monks that birthed it