Haiku 2023–236

rumors of heat waves

I meditate while lying

on the cold stone floor

— —

The weather folks warned us all week that today stood a chance to be a jawdroppingly hot and humid day here in Southwest Ohio. While storms coming from the north may knock the edge off the most dire of forecasts, whatever weather we end up getting today will likely be extreme. This brought to mind a verse from Matthew 24 that talks about “wars and rumors of wars”. Indeed, quite a few folks seem to have worked themselves up into a lather over this despite the fact most of us have the opportunity to find shelter indoors.

Most of the time when I meditate, I use a bench that allows me to sit close to the floor. Sometimes, however, I find myself pausing while doing my sun salutations and settling face down with my forehead resting on the stone tiles. The coolness of the floor demands my attention forcing all other thoughts and feelings out except for the sound and feel of my breath hitting the tiles. In many ways, I achieve a more ideal meditative state in this pose than I do sitting. It seems particularly poignant today because it stands in stark contrast to what today’s weather promises to be. This haiku attempts to capture that.