Batesville, Mississippi
In memory of Thich Nhat Hanh, 1926-2022
Not far from where I was born among Baptists in Mississippi,
We walked slowly, silently among hundreds,
As Thich Nhat Hanh led us in walking meditation.
With a child’s hand in each of his,
He led us.
We were blessed by the earth,
we blessed the earth
at Magnolia Grove Monastery.
We were made into a wave of compassion,
new hope for what blows in the Southern breeze,
in a land where God is best-known
as judge between heaven and hell.
O, Chickasaw people, sent west on trails made of tears and brutal injustice,
can you feel our feet reclaiming the land that loved you?
Land that you loved for a thousand years and more?
O, my invading ancestors, deluded by Andrew Jackson
Into taking land that was not yours,
May our gentle steps reclaim what was good in you,
And redeem all that was brutal and blind.
The Buddhists came and claimed Mississippi as home,
As holy land,
People chosen
for a rebirth of compassion.
The Buddhists came to Mississippi,
And praying gently with their feet,
They transformed the god of heaven and hell,
Into a joyful vegetarian chef
in the monastery kitchen.
Randall Mullins is a friend, husband, father, grandfather, pastor, seeker, teacher, and in his wildest dreams, dancer. He attends Tacoma Friends Meeting (NPYM).