Leveling Up

Buddhists know suffering to be like the ghosts
           in Super Mario Brothers—they advance

only when your back is turned. To face them
           is to reclaim the distance between you

and your mind. How to believe in such power?
           Last night, I lay awake till 5 a.m.,

then drove to Starbucks. New light crept
           toward all the dampened metal

in the room. The pretty barista sighed
           as deeply as the venting steam.

I watched the line of cubicle commuters,
           thought, if only I was a little faster.

But the ghosts need not be any faster.
           The ghosts need only never to stop.