Don’t weep
By B. T.
Incarcerated people 
Prison Poetry 
Oct 20, 2009 
Venerable Thubten Chodron: B. T. heard that my mother died recently and wrote this poem. He said he read the last verse some years ago, although he cannot remember where or who wrote it, and that it inspired the rest of the poem. Thank you, B.
Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not in the ground so deep.
I am in the sunlight from above
I’m in the newborn baby, the mother’s love
I am the bird in majestic flight
I’m the glint of snow on a moonlit night.
I’m the wave that breaks upon the dry beach.
I am your dreams that will surely be reached.
I’m the grass, the flowers, the trees that grow,
The clouds the rain and the gentle winds blow.
I am everything that we ever held dear.
I’m the hour, the day, the month, the year.
I am eternity, I’m here, I’m there.
Everything I am, I am everywhere.
I am the love that fills your heart
That will keep us forever from being apart.
Do not stand by my grave and cry
I am not there. I did not die.
Incarcerated people
Many incarcerated people from all over the United States correspond with Venerable Thubten Chodron and monastics from Sravasti Abbey. They offer great insights into how they are applying the Dharma and striving to be of benefit to themselves and others in even the most difficult of situations.
