“Homegoing” by Sarah Audsley (Poetry ’19)

You will return to the temple, swept clean,
tea sprouting in rows, clappers of bells ringing out
as incense burn at the foot of the golden Buddha.

A flaky croissant’s butter & the bitter taste
of bold coffee will churn your insides hiking
up Jangsan Mountain. The monk will pour

hot tea & tell you to remember there are 300,000
universes running parallel to each other. How
might everything be different? Why desire

material goods? Cellphones, diamonds, a lover,
a new car. You will find yourself in the presence
of a white blaze, a brush of feather, an infusion of calm.