Stalemate

by | Sep 27, 2017 | Poetry

The last two Buddhas on earth
smile at each other, each vowing

not to enter nirvana
until they’ve resolved

every last stitch of suffering
in the world. “After you,”

one nods, as though holding open
serenity’s door.

“No,” the other says
through gritted teeth, “after you.”

Stalemate by Stephen Cramer

Photo used under CC.

About The Author

mm

Stephen Cramer is the author of Bone Music (Trio House Press, 2016), selected by Kimiko Hahn as the winner of the 2015 Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence; From the Hip (Wind Ridge Books, 2014); Tongue & Groove (University of Illinois Press, 2007); and Shiva’s Drum (University of Illinois Press, 2004), selected by Grace Schulman for the National Poetry Series. An assistant poetry editor at Green Mountains Review, he teaches writing and literature at the University of Vermont and lives in Burlington, Vermont.