Scoop of Light
Vera Schwarcz
If I forget you, oh Jerusalem
let my tongue cleave to my mouth.

Two cauldrons of incense,
a dozen pilgrims on straw mats,
one young nun, a frayed string
to tie her legs together,
an old man, beribboned hair,
two rags of paper
to slide his hands,
smooth the leap:
Erect. Flung down. Full body worship
of all that is holy.

Inside the Jokhang Temple
hundreds of yak butter lamps
uncoil the creased faces of aged monks,
young acolytes in meditation.

In Tibet, on prayer-stained stones
the silent shuffle of prostrations
uncleaves my tongue.

To turn the prayer wheel.

ISBN 1-882983-51-3
42 pages/$6