Layers
J. LAUGHLIN
LAYERS
that don't peel like an onion
not tightly joined perhaps
more like those little Russian
wooden dolls where six identi-
cal shapes fit perfectly in-
side each other now add time
and you have it the layer of
childhood the layer of ado-
lescence the layer of blos-
soming (whatever form that
takes) and so on to the layer
the Hindus call the ashram age
when we live in the forest
or go through the villages
with our begging bowls and
yet however hard we try to
find the great nothingness
to escape the layers they
are always there unforget-
tably wrapped around us re-
calling what we were deter-
mining what we'll always be.
Structure
24 lines · 13 stanzas