Poem 196: Neti atman

a wise person when having some murderous thought
will say: neti atman

when one has a hateful urge

she says: neti atman

when one swells with anger

or craves destructive delights

he says: neti atman

'that's not me'

*

not that I'm so wise
but I mutter it constantly

I even had this troubling thought:
will the atman ever arise?

in your case, I sure the fuck hope not


neti atman