So much weight,
On your shoulders
On your back.
Hunched over
Broken down
Beaten by your own mind.
For the love of God
For the love of life,
For it can only be for love.
Hang on by that nail
Or that thread,
But mostly, by each breath.
So generously delivered
Without request
Without any demands.
Let yourself receive
This love supreme,
That will never be understood, only felt.
For no matter
Any circumstance,
It is loyal
It is faithful
Just to you
Until the very end.
Reality is ugly
Affirmed with every
Innocent cry of pain and destitution
From wounds in overt and covert wars
Perhaps in the mind
Perhaps in the surrounding society
Deep seats fears
Hatred and vindictiveness
Ugly driving forces
Consolidated by generational
Indoctrinations
And medias’ unforgivable trends
Repeated through history
Where is the beginning?
Where is the end?
Flip the coin
And bear witness
To strength and a kindness
Revealing unimaginable
Selflessness, courage
Generosity
The many helping hands
Not nations
But singular persons
Reaching out
Risking their own lives
Listening to the call
Of consciousness
Righteousness
Their humanity’s voice
So is reality
Ugly or
Beautiful?
With the founding factors
All within
Each and every human
What is your reality
Ugly or
Beautiful?
Despite the circumstances
What are you nurturing
Do you even know you can make the choice!
Anatoliy Misuik, Autumn Breath, 2022, Lviv Ukraine
The morning air
clean and slight crisp.
The golden orb
slower to rise.
This third season
closes what has been amassed
with a serene gratitude.
Gentle and as abundantly as the falling leaves.
Yet opens the door
to reflection and consolidation,
giving rise to fortitude
needed to step into the shorter darker days.
Maturing beauty surrounds
with swaying wheat bushels.
Rich solid gourds and pumpkins
adorning doorsteps and mantles.
Summer fruits dwindle,
as hearty fall veggies
gathered for soups and stews
await crusty bread dipping.
This the season
of closing in onto the self.
Comforting for some.
Frightful for others.
For your own autumn’s coming,
collect the savoring of memories
rich and robust for growing closer
to your inner core.
As this, your core, will never dwindle
decay and dissolve.
And as you await your winter
fear not the cold or isolation.
But welcome the comfort,
Companionship
of that which you has seen you through
each and all of your seasons.
Guilt, fear
Successes, failures
Right turns, wrong turns
This is the noise between the ears.
Always questioning your worthiness
To bask in your wholeness
Where divinity awaits you.
This is the very distraction
Obscuring your passage
Creating your barrier
To your inner self and awareness.
It is here that the infinite is united
With your mortality.
Here ‘now’ allows
The ultimate experience
The experience
The millennia took
In the creation of you.
So ask not of your worthiness
Your presence
Dictates your absolute claim.
Breathe in this life
It will take your breath away
Let it make you breathless.
By the most precious of realizations awaited
You are worthy
Be humbled by your opportunity
Be awed in your gratitude.
Grasp every moment
New as dew
Fresh and crisp
And just as transitory.
So capture and be focused
As night will come
And you’ll need
Your own light
To carry you without fear.
Only possible for having already
Met your creating divinity.
Never you can forget
If ever you get to meet our Bob
A man from simple beginnings
Traveling across the Atlantic pond
From the midlands of the UK
To the West of the United States
Always one to make use of his God given gift
His hands, his strength, his determination
Husband to Uma
Obsessive, possessive but all and only hers.
Father to Misha, Sheema, Beena
Father-figure to Ricky, Reena, Angie, Tejal
Dada to all the grandkids close and far…
You wear many hats
Switching as your audience calls
Reliable for your brüt honestly
Known for your no fuss ways
Humor unpredictable
Behavior always a scary surprise
Beloved by young and old
Sort for by friends and family
We congratulate you
On your big Seven Zero!
Life, we know has delivered its ups and downs
Here’s to smooth sailing now
Ride any more bumps
As if steering your first car, the Mini
And feel the blessing of life
Cruising through your veins
This journey is only yours
Thank you for letting us join in on the ride
We love you ol’ man♥️
Just in case you didn’t know!
When you think of slavery
What image do you conjure
Men, women?
Arduous work?
Well in todays 21st century
The time of man’s greatest achievement
Children form the largest sector
Of this hideous trade
Even more sickening
Is what they are sold for
Who they are sold to
The countless repeated sexual insults and abuses they endure
We’ve heard of this
We know of this
But who’s story do you know?
Now you have the opportunity
To see first hand
The bravery, the hope
The humanity
That can serve to help
The vulnerable
Those thought to be lost
And protect those who should never even hear of such vulgar domination
Watch this movie
Talk about
Share it
Our collective awareness is needed
This is not happening somewhere
It’s happening right here
Our your doorstep!
Protect your child
Protect all children
“God’s children are not for sale”
What if you gave yourself
A moment each day
Perhaps at the start
Probably more needed at the end
Just to check in on yourself
Saying, “how are you feeling today?”
“How did your day go?”
If it was tough
Can you give yourself a moment
To relax, breathe deep, breathe long
And let it out slow.
Whatever you felt
Can you accept, allow
Reflect as needed
The let it all go.
Open yourself
Much like the sky
And watch the happenings
The events, the emotions
As they float on by
Slow like summer clouds
Or fast like birds as thunder rolls in.
Then as the space empties, quietens
And a silence sings
Bask, like bathing in the sun
Let a warmth surround
Let a comfort embrace
This is presence
And this is how you get all checked in.
Profoundly simple
Drop by drop
A Master’s words
Give rise to clarity
In turn a freedom
From concepts and confines
As a path is laid
With guidance made available
And a companionship like no other
To turn within
Then becomes
The adventure of this life time
Narrow path for one
Destined to travel alone
Side lines brim with love
Historical representation
The return of a light force
Joy and comfort rejoiced
Reality check
Light is omnipresent
Even in the darkest of times
Not only does it dance
At the break of dawn
In the twinkle of stars
But in the hurl of waves
In the flicker of eyes
And roar of laughter
I came as light
Much like a blow torch
Universally charged
The force, the light
Burns, sustains
Every breath, every day
My casing ages
Disintegrates
As my light remains constant
The day will come
When it’s work for me is done
Then silently it moves on
Cherishing this light
Without which
I am mere dust
Befriending
Understanding
Appreciating
My light
It chose me
It is me
Being happy
In my light
Celebrate my Diwali
Mountainous clouds float
Billowing softness yet strong
Drench me in sweet reign
Magnificent simplicity
Delicately glorious
Profoundly present
Regally virtuous
Composition unique
Yet familiarity opens
My heart once more
And a warmth released
How far we stray
In this world
Of asphalt and tar
Where trees are cleared
Where creatures made homeless
And man banks
Another buck
And builds yet another city
When will we learn
When will we remember
The ecosystem
The cosmos
All rotate, revolve
In a natural order
When a simple rose
One of a million
Can tell the story
Of a divine perfection
And inspire a gratuitous love
From your deepest vault
This is the gift
Not of a dozen roses
But merely just one
As housed in her
The depth of a beauty
Is the same for me
The same for you
Glow and yield
To what is nature’s
Rhyme and reason
Love and grace
And accept the abundant plenitude
He’s gone
A lifetime of 83 years
One last breath
And he’s gone
Absence
Silence
Reminders
And then the pain
With no time to absorb
No time to feel
Only the processes, the needs
Of affairs to be resolved
Dictating an attention
Refusing
Postponing
The grief
And now with only space
And a sudden influx of time
Comes the pain, the tears
For he really is gone
Will you…
Hold my hand for a little while?
I don’t need you to save me
No need for you to fix anything
No need for you to hold my pain
But will you simply hold my hand?
I do not need your words
Your thoughts
Nor your shoulders to carry me
But will you sit here for a while with me?
Whilst my tears they stream
Whilst my heart it shatters
Whilst my mind plays tricks on me
Will you with your presence let me know that I am not alone, whilst I wander into my inner unknown?
For my darkness is mine to face
My pain is mine to feel
And my wounds are mine to heal
But will you sit with me here, while I courageously show up for it all my dear?
For I am bright because of my darkness
Beautiful because of my brokenness
And strong due to my tender heart
But will you take my hand lovingly, when I sometimes journey into the dark?
I don’t ask for you to take my darkness away
I don’t expect for you to brighten my day
And I don’t believe that you can mend my pain
But I would surely love if you could sit for a while and hold my hand, until I find my way out of my shadowland!
So will you…
Hold my hand until I return again?”~
~Zoe Johansen ~
Posting this poem as it is so fitting to the moment captured above between my dad and I on his last day here on Earth🙏
Opulent plumage
Golden reflective salute
Mirroring the sun
The universe has conspired
Conspired for your existence
Not against you but for you
The coming together of time
The alignment of elements
Molecules, atoms,
Wind, air, dirt
Yes it has all conspired
That you may be here
That you may feel, see, think, love
Do you feel your existence
The rhythm in which you sway
Can you connect to your source
Can you find the wavelength
Where the eternal sits within you
Be still, be quiet
And the space will find you, hold you
Ironically coined is ‘mind-ful-ness’
As we know only too well
How to continuously over think
And invariably this leads to confusion
Doubt
And ultimately is limiting, crippling
Perhaps we need to be
More of ‘heart-ful-ness’
And less of mind
Heartfulness brings
Fruition to feelings
Of empathy, friendship, trust
Naturally bringing forth
Kindness, love, compassion
Unity and oneness
Which then allows a joyful contentment
A happy gratefulness
An ultimate peacefulness
Such a short distance
From heart to mind
Yet at times they seem as if a million miles apart
Sometimes we even confuse
One for the other
Do you know the difference in their voices?
One will say you must do this or that
The other will say nothing
Letting you feel your way there
Perhaps there are no right or wrongs
But be assured
When you listen to your heart
The answers will be waiting
And your peace and sanity
Have the chance to be restored
Witness the softness
Celebrate the gentleness
Feel the gratefulness
Rave of the age
Is to have ‘self care’
Put yourself first
Take care of you
And all can be well!
How?
Carve out time for you
Take a walk
Take a bath
Read a book
Do what speaks to you!
Yes notes of sarcasm
From the queen of self care
As all we are doing is running
Running from the negatives
Awkward situations
Stresses of life
The inescapables
And so the so called problems
Accompany you everywhere!
It’s the noise between the ears
The constant chatter
Clatter of thoughts
Fueling the emotions
Of anger, fear, jealousy and doubt
These you carry
Never abandon
To these thieves
We open the doors of our mind and heart
They counsel you
Convince you
Tell you your worth
Then they raid and rob you
Leaving you soulless
In despair, with frustration and anxiety
But there’s a larger vault
Deep, much deeper within
Which when opened
Releases a power
Gentle and expansive
Second to none
No matter where you stand
You can smile with understanding
Laugh with joy
And feel vibrantly alive
To recognize this gift
Lifts a veil
And the thieves then must scamper
From the generosity of the Giver
Comes these teachings of a lifetime
What a fortune to listen
To absorb
To feel, to understand
Just a little each and every day
Thank you Diane, holding this ornament has given me a beautiful moment in time to feel the lost physical contact with Dipak, my precious brother.
From a simple ritual
To the practicing yogi,
The one hundred and eight beads
Constitutes a time for intentional focus.
Initiated in the 8th century BC,
These spiritual beads in Hinduism
Now are used through Islam, Christianity
Buddhism, 2/3rds of the world’s population.
Whether wood, seed or stone
They shall deliver
Properties of healing, protection
And most commonly, spiritual practice.
I gift this to you,
So you can intentionally
Breathe 108 times
With vitality, feeling vibrancy.
Speak a mantra
Drawing you inwards.
Feel the earthly element
Connecting you to Mother Earth.
Simply put, I wish you
108 blessings,
108 guardians,
108 freed moments
Each and every day.
May you hold this mala
With the clarity it was made,
With the love it is sent,
And wisdom with which you shall use.
The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering ..
~ Ben Okri ~
To rise past all
That’s dares to smoother
The layers on layers
Commitments and constraints
To float above
The threat that tugs
The ties and chains
Of bonds and relations
To fly over
The snares invisible
The smoke and mirrors
The lies and illusions
Ah what relief
When the truth be known
To free my wings
To uncage my heart
What a virtue, what a trait
Independence!
Encouraged, applauded
Even envied
To stand on your own feet
To make and pave your own way
To rely on not a single soul
What an accomplishment!
But wait a minute!
Do you even open your eyes
Unless the sun
Comes peeking at your window
Bringing you a new day
How would you even get to bathe
Had the clouds not emptied
Or the snow not melted
So the streams could run and reservoirs rise
How would you smell your morning coffee
Had the sub-equatorial lands
Not grown and reaped the beans
Ground and brewed in your Keurig
What clothing would you don
Had the cotton not been picked
The yarns not been spun
Garments not been stitched
So in true essence
Are we really ‘independent’?
Or are we ‘interdependent’!
And if so, what have we understood?
Do we accept and realize
Our co-existence
Our co-dependency
Our inherent need for allegiance
With the natural world
The countries we have created
To our neighbors
To our own selves!
Taken for a ride
By the good old ego
We pride ourselves
With a claim to independence
Yet looking deeper
Within and around
We are part of a whole
Where even a breath
Is not under our control
The gift of all gifts
Sent magically into your being
Silently with no fanfare
It’s time to question
Time to ponder and reflect
What an incredible existence
Where everything is so magnanimous postured
That blinded we have become
To the interconnections
That’s serve to sustain
Our universal existence
Time to wake up
Not to just smell the roses
But care for the roses
And all else on this blue planet
Two mortals align
Embracing the immortal
Beauty beyond time
Unequivocal beauty
Blooming grace, like a dance
Drawing riches from the terra
Your petals defy the science
Fluttering delicately
Like wings of the butterfly
Yet with the strength of an army
You win each battle for my heart
How gloriously you entrance me
Leading back to simplicity of gratitude
Smiling outside and inward
Warmth of omnipresence made tangible
Photo by TW
In the grand scheme of this intriguing play
Perhaps we are insignificant
Like the little robin
In just another tree
Yet during the play
How positioned is he and we
To enjoy the array of fleeting pleasures
Dancing on the stage
From a hedge of roses
To fields of tulips
Mountain sides of poppies
And lakes skimmed with lotus
Where ever you may be
Rural or urban
Rustic or pristine
Don’t miss the current act
As some plays have one or two
Some three or four
But what is unknown
Is how many is yours!
Amidst the barren Trees, and dark threatening clouds, Gentle light prevails
Dedication in remembrance of my brother, Dipak💞
Zesty and vibrant,
Joyful winter reminder
Brightness can be found.
Perfectly balanced
Bedazzled with citrus gems
Strength, beauty bound in one
You the fragrant rose
Blooming under watchful eye
Of infinite love
From the Big Bang
To global warming,
We are here.
From evolution
To revolutions,
We fight to be here.
From independences
To globalization,
We speak up to be here.
From all things actualized
To their demise and re-emergence,
We continues to be here.
And so here we are
Encapsulating a gratitude,
Denoting a day.
To remember and share
The privileges, gift, abundances gathered
Over the history of mans toil.
All along, the almighty power
The indestructible,
Which was, is and will be
Sustains, an entire universe
A galaxy
An ecosystem.
Transferring, transmitting
Evolving, so life permits
That you and I can be.
Insufficient is then, a mere day of thanks.
Like life,
Let gratitude permeate each moment
Which comes from the deepest understanding,
Born from accepting our fragility,
And a graceful governance
Where the birds and bees,
Flowers and trees
To man himself,
Are all held,
Yet free
To live and be.
Photography by Asvina Brown
All facets of life
Incapsulated in a moment,
From undoubted beauty
To looming fears.
Voluminous clouds
Mightily they float,
Threatening to spew
And drown you out!
Yet the intrigue
Of color and form,
Capture both heart and breath,
A moment now, forever lived.
Do we more often
Get lost in fear?
Of what may come?
What may happen?
Forfeiting the present
In which we can feel
Simple joys,
Gratitude and inspirations.
This grand gesture of beauty
Is bequeathed each day,
As the love from within
Will shine in our eyes.
That guiding presence
Then shapes your day
As you see the treasure
Lined up for your pleasure.
They say it’s important
To acknowledge your feelings,
Mine burn deep
Searing like a heated knife.
Sadness, disappointment
Futility mixed with
Mayhem and barbarianism
The anguish insufferable
Simultaneously we are
Isolated, quarantined
Where will this all end?
Man’s eye like a microscope,
Disproportionately viewing life
Distorted by imagination
Enlarging the illusion.
With no regard
For the ‘third’ eye,
Where lies his clarity
Abundant and beyond compare.
I pray for a united return
Of humanity,
Kindness and peace
Simple joys.
Where greed, power
Egotism are quelled voluntarily,
As realized that we are nothing
But dust in the end.
Yet here we are,
Kings and queens
In a moment in time,
And granted pleasures in multitudes.
What can be that deciding factor
Whether we live in peace and harmony
Or divided and disgruntled?
Gazing up into the sky
The sun, moon and stars peacefully
Focused, levitate and orbit
Constant in their mission.
Down here on earth
I see the equilibrium of nature,
Of which I am a part
With a privy to consciousness.
Herein lies my blessing and solace,
For not only can I sing and dance along,
But also acknowledge the Orchestrator
The One to whom I benevolently belong.
My thoughts inspired by the RBG and current noise.
I speak
For when children
We’re only meant to be seen.
Obedience seen as a great virtue,
Not of the child
But perfect parenting.
The child conditioned
That those in authority , if happy,
Lead to their happiness.
I speak
For the young girl
Who has always waited second in line to the boy.
I speak
For the ethnic amongst us,
Chastised and ridiculed for our natural differences.
I speak
For the elderly, the poor, the veterans,
All those who’s voices are dismissed.
I speak
For all we have misunderstood,
For all we have had a hand in the making.
And now, I not only speak
But pray,
For a call to our senses, our consciousness.
With the raising of that conscious voice,
Only then will any speech
Be worthy for the time given to listen.
rhythmandthedancer 