When I sit down to meditate
all of my devils join me as well.

"Are you sure you want to do this?
Isn’t it a waste of time?”
a voice of skepticism chides.

If I smile and say, “Why not?”
that voice quiets momentarily.

However, soon after that
different rascals appear.

One announces,"Hey – I have some fascinating ideas!
If you give me your attention, you can hear!”

This spirit is slippery
& skilled at manipulating hope.
The only way to dispel it is to say,
“No thanks, I’m already a dope!”

If I make it this far,
a cool silence sometimes appears,
yet many other buggers beg for attention:
have we forgotten lust, sloth, or fear?

Such phantoms feed off energy.
making Trump-style promises
without delivering a single thing.

Yet sometimes
through a grace undeserved,
I slip past such negative energies.

Then – for a few moments at least –
this spirit is immersed in an ancient well-spring.