Buddha Was a Husband, Father,
Sameen Shakya
And a son. We know he loved his mother.
Mourned her in the myths where he caused her death.
Cherished her in the ones where she didn’t die.
Heard her when she called out Siddhartha, Siddhartha,
come sit next to me and listen to my voice. Siddhartha,
love is everything. You must love. You must love.
Ever the mama’s boy, Buddha did love. In fact,
love too much. He saw the beggars’ cracked skin, and
within saw his own soul breaking. He saw the orphan’s cold smile, and
within saw he could not, knowing there was nothing to do.
Oh, what could he do?
Do you think, that last night when he snuck out
from his wife’s embrace, he looked at his child
one final time, and heard his mother’s voice say:
Love is everything. You must love.
and shed a tear? Or did he keep a brave face
for his mother? Or really, for himself?
Sameen Shakya’s writings have been published in Alternate Route, Cosmic Daffodil, Hearth and Coffin, Roi Faineant and Thin Veil Press, to name a few. Born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, he moved to the USA in 2015 to pursue writing. He earned an Undergraduate Degree in Creative Writing from St Cloud State University and traveled the country for a couple of years to gain a more informal education. He returned to Kathmandu in 2022 and is currently based there.
