When I ate in Seattle,
A puff of cannabis
Scented
The anonymous air
Under a
Rainy overcast sky:
I was a Cannabis Sky.

It could have been Wednesday
As faceless people passed.

I knew this couple:
I could feel his eyes
Looking straight ahead.
He thought about his children,
Embracing sadness.

I considered sampling the cheese tray
As I spied the Space Needle
Out the window,
Across the street,
And just beneath the clouds.

I really knew this couple:
I could see the insecurity
In her eyes
As she looked at people
Without making eye contact
And
She considered her husband,
Himself
So lost in his children.

I contemplated playing chess
With my LoverWife
Later that night
After we finished our cheese platter
And
Digested our Raymond Carver.

I know people
When their joy
When their sadness
When their thoughts
Penetrate the Cannabis Sky
And
I’m
Knowing all experiences
That
Pass through me like spirits.

Knowing isn’t owning,
It’s just being
Alive,
So fully alive
In the here and now
Under the Empathic Sky.