With an old friend MM
We have been traveling a long time
Both of us are tired and bored
I am taking objects out of my pack
And showing them to him
I have a fist sized rock
With an image of the Buddha
Carved out of diamond
Affixed to one side
It is a Buddha in meditation
His form ascetic
skeletal
gaunt
I tell my friend
Even though it is heavy
I carry it everywhere
Have for years
Bought it on the border of Nepal
I hand it to him
With his thumb
He breaks off the lower half of the Buddha
I take it from him
Ask why he did that
Tells me
I thought it was stronger than that
I show him the back
There is an indentation
A map of Nepal
Shows the Buddha's travels
Exactly where the rock was made
He is not overly contrite
Suddenly
It all seems ridiculous to me
I set the rock on the floor of the bus
There is glitter in the air
Or a lot of dust
Up front
A real faery is flying around
dropping stardust on the passenger's heads
The driver yells back
We are almost there
