Timothy McLafferty

after the rain four clocks and two watchescrackthe stillness of this place standing in the light of asingle bulbI count my silver hairs a drop falls from theshower headevery fourteen seconds Chlorophyll Here in the soft rottingbottom,the lotus taps its root: it begins here in aperceived impurity. Who will berate thelotus on accountof its humble origin? Who will mock itsbeautyor deny its faith? And so Buddhasrest upon them. Sengai Ato: Roku Jizo he’d thought about itmany times beforewhile preparing his ink the curved linethe strokeits pressure, weightand lightness he filled his brushbegan and finisheda mandala universe and within itsix Buddhasat prayer for peace a prayer for peace. Tim McLafferty lives in NYC and works as a drummer. He has played on Broadway in Urinetown, Grey Gardens, and many other interesting places. His work currently appears in many fine journals, including Forge, Painted Bride Quarterly, Pearl, Portland Review, and Right Hand Pointing. timmclafferty.com