There is a saying among the dead
A saying which goes:
The buddha cannot save you
But he can tell a good joke

The Dead Man skims stones across the river
On the horizon, lightning winks like a ghost
Star gazing turns to navel
In an alleyway temple you asked a smiling buddha the size of a cat to
Release you from all of this
Explained yourself at length, pleading:
I am the deadest man who has ever lived
Gave incense and a single magnolia, wedding dress white,
As an offering
Asking that your prayer be granted by the end of the month
And not a single day later

Lightning flashes across the sky
Three beats later, rumbling thunder
He said his prayer three months ago
Skims another stone – skip two three
And considers going back for his flower

…

Tristan Foster is a writer from Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Letter to the Author of the Letter to the Father and 926 Years, co-authored with Kyle Coma-Thompson.