Epitaph for an Ex-Guru:

An Obituary for Doug Duncan


Whether you ran on hi-octane fuel
or ordinary hum-drum greed
most people will never know
because what they wanted was a
colonic-consciousness-cleansing.

Whether you were powered by
an extraordinary zest for life
or an ability to capitalize on human need
remains unanswered – however you
did persuade some zealots to swallow
drops of spittle-nectar
from your lips.

You had more than an ordinary lust for pleasure
therefore common inquiries do not fit.
Questions such as, "What was the goal of your endeavors?"
or, "Did you actually care for others?" seem amiss.

Still
On sum level you owe folks an apology
cuz beneath yer god-like Rinpoche charade
& oblique claims of manifesting The Way
you were still fallible
quite human
& made of clay.


Epitaph for an Ex-Guru - a photograph by T Newfields of Doug Duncan, taken in India in August 2004