The mud feeds the lotus

I had to get into nonprofit
to learn the mud of it
of a town
barely a city
turning shitty
causing its own homelessness,
hopelessness,
ownerlessness,
pushing families out of their own neighborhoods
when the coffers have the goods,
the funds,
enough for everyone
by far
because despite
the muck
the mud
the avoidable torment
the Lotus grows from from it
like it's silt
saturated with nutrient
and knowledge.
Good thing Buddha
cannot be
corrupted
by corruption
deluded by delusion
bought by greed
sold by need
told to concede
forced to believe
that this is the best we can do,
so let's pursue
the best we can do
by growing into a lotus flower
from the power
derived from the mud
the sludge
the silt that was stirred
by the water
and churned by the turbulence
and turned into food for good.