the Poodle and i –

We entered the facility, the institution, the home.

.

there She was,

halfway down the hallway

in a wheelchair.

people passing Her by,

not even stopping to say hi,

or even, “excuse me….”

.

“No one comes to visit me”

she spoke into

to the space.

“No one comes to visit me”

as people whisked passed.

.

“Hi, my name is Liz, and this is Tomi –

and we are here to visit You”

“of course You are”, she said to Tomi, a smile broke across her face like sunrise.

and as i looked into Her Buddha face she turned Her light on me,

“You are Bea-u-tiful face!”

she said,

and it reflected off of every surface of my heart –

“so are You”

i answered.

and we sat there as she stroked the poodle,

who now wore Her expression.

.

Does a dog have a Buddha nature?