Zen Practice, yes, "Cold Metal on the bottom" by ko shin

Cold metal on the bottom

That's what it was, no toilet seat, just shinny metal

Cold, and strange

But that's how our inmates sit on the throne

More inmates than any other country in the world

Cold metal on the bottom, that's it

It was a strange experience, not because there was no toilet seat,

My poetry teacher gave us an assignment

Go for a walk, sit somewhere for awhile

Then write some things down

I do that all the time, but not on cold metal on the bottom

I was sitting in meditation with the men, in the chapel, in the prison,

Nature called when you are my age you learn to answer in the moment not

Some time soon….get it?

The chaplain gave me some choices, I guess because I'm not an inmate

So I entered the door with a sign on it, inmates only

There it was a metal throne with out a seat

I paused only a second, nature was yelling by now

And so I sat on the cold metal with no seat

Teacher, you ask how did I feel?

Hm, relived and free…who needs a seat...