A Poem Called Mala – by Jodi Lin

A Poem Called Mala

My third finger 
and thumb
move along each bead.
Smooth to the touch, 
the bead,
a marker
a prayer
a desire 
a plea-

to:	all the angels in heaven
to:	the one that i call god
to:	the buddhas  and bhodisattvas
	of the past the present the future and beyond
to:	 my ancestors of my highest good only
to:	 palden lhamo the protector of the doctrine
to:	 mahakala the protector of the doctrine
to:	 padmasambhava the guardian of awakenings
to:	 avilokiteshvara the buddha of compassion.

To all of you blessed beings
with your abundant compassion,
have mercy on me
have mercy on all of us who pray
to clear our karmic obscurations
so we may thrive
in your shelter 
of peace.

Jodi Lin is a Queer/Trans Asian Pacific Islander poet and filmmaker based in Manhattan. Their poetry can be experienced in a video diary called “Leaving Beauty” on their YouTube channel of the same name, Olney Magazine, and The Poetry Project Footnotes publication. A graduate of the ART Institute at Harvard, Sarah Lawrence College, and a Brooklyn Poets Fellowship recipient. https://linktr.ee/hellojodiii