Father’s Accolade

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First a guardian
Hovering behind mother hen
Yet always ready
To take the reigns

Then a playmate and true supporter
With horseback rides
As bike holder
Even a fan in the bleachers

As life goes on
And all the work is done
Now the father comes to light
As he is physically
No longer always in sight

You remember the helping hand
Each time you lift
And oversized box,
You hear his words
Each time you decide
Your ‘yay or nay’
Your feel a push
Each time you move
Further into unknown worlds

This is a father
The one to let you hold
His finger and assure you
The one to let you go
So you can go adventure
The one to push you forward
So you make your dreams come true..

Fading Daisy

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As twilight arrives
Vibrancy gives way,
Hues become somber
Yet a depth is present.

A new richness and dignity
Gently evolves,
And stamina and endurance
Courageously prevail.

Golden years
They are called,
Petals fade
Even begin to drop.

The cycle of returning
To the core
Scare some,
But not me.

For where I came from
I will go,
And my salvation
Always in love…

For where I have felt love
Has been
And is
My way home.

Succulent

Simple uniformity
With chlorophyll abundant
Definition clear
With H2O fill

Succulent by name
Enabling warrior survival
In the most desolate
Arid of terrains

Human so similar
Designed to perfection
Multiple organ chambers
Renewing survival each day

Consciousness the difference
Given privy to the play
I behold the succulent
For giving me the way

Recognizing her attributes
I look into myself
Finding what sustains me
Our bond is now complete

Glory to our creator
As magic he did spill
For splendors both created
As succulent and me

3 of 3 – Dragonfly

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Dragonfly
Of water
Swishing and
Swaying

Like a river
Homeward bound
From mountain top snow
To ocean surf tides

Sometimes like a torrent
Waterfall of spring
Sometimes like the dry bed
Of a fall creek

Yet always seeing
Every boulder
Every tree
And collecting the breeze

And like the drop
Always ready to merge
But forgetting to quench
And getting so parched

Listen to your beat
Don’t let the current
Guide your feet
Take time and find your still lake

You know where
She waits
Go pay homage
To your deepest bathe

Enjoy the stillness
Be in your calm
Feel the gentle ripples
Lap lapping
At your feet

2 of 3 – Dragonfly

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Dragonfly
Of color
Radiating brightly
Inviting so warmly

Like
A rainbow
After the rain
And before the sun

Yet always constant
Always reliable
Thinking ahead
And perfectly malleable

Helping hands
Thoughtful ways
Yet maybe never
Center in the play

Explore
Full spectrum
Of all
Your hues

From
Red and yellow
To
Indigo and violet

You have them all
So like an instrument
Play all your keys
Find all your music

And be
Completely
All you were meant
To be

1 of 3 – Dragonfly

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Dragonfly
Of graphite
Standing tall
Standing strong

Majestic
As queen
With subjects
Always In mind

Leading
Governing
Yet hiding
Behind your toil

Come out
I say
And release
Yourself

You maybe
Strong
But it’s ok
To be weak

Let down your guard
Peel away the beams
Let in the comfort
Let out the cry

With your wings
Wide spread
Flutter
In the wind

Changing course
Switching mindset
Find the dance
Be the dance

Your strength
You’ll always have
Just don’t let it take
Away your joy

Ageing

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Graced with elegance
Layered in riches
Brimming with fortitude
Aged to perfection

Truest of treasures
Never an acquisition
Always a revelation
As embedded with precision

With dignity and resilience
With acknowledgement of meaning
A life lived well
Shows through with beauty

The human no different
Whether wrinkled or lame
The gleam of beauty
Will still break though

Live with inquiry
Don’t follow like sheep
Walk against the crowd
Walk the path less trodden

Look within, look around
Answers come of asking
Make room for knowledge
And every wrinkle will hold a story

Fear not the running of time
Welcome
For it brings sustenance for renewal
Perfect just for each moment

So grateful this heart
For knowing this treasure
For knowing the guardian
For having so ‘aged’

Uniqueness

 

To be so awkward
Yet accepted as graceful,
Lessons of the giraffe.

To flutter inattentive
Yet accepted as a delicate beauty,
Lessons of the butterfly.

To create incessant noise
Yet accepted as the warning buzz,
Lessons of the bumblebee.

To thunderously roar
Yet accepted as commanding,
Lessons of the lion.

Do you know how to accept your weakness
Focus on your strength
Turn your quirkiness into an attribute?

Put down the yardstick
Measure no more,
Uniqueness cannot be compared.

Seek your true features
See your real image
Be the student of your self.

Apple cart upset!

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Life’s milestones and achievements
Chronological and geometrically
Predictably livable
Despite being boring
Suffocating and imprisoning

All is fine
So long you follow
Societal norms.

This is how it’s suppose to be
This is what we’ve been condition
To believe.

Due to apparent successes
Fallacies repeated
Failing model denied.

Causal factors
Consistently appear
Inherent in basic human nature.

Aspirations for potential,
Desire
Passion
Growth;
Turn up unexpected at any given time.
Apple cart upset!

Membranes broken
Barriers busted
Cries for freedom.

Now labeled
Wild
Unruly
Lost.
Apple cart upset!

Can I let them roll?
My apples?
Of pain
Regret
Neglect
Sorrow
Passion
Desire
Growth

Or just pick them back up
Assemble
Square up
And box….

Topofthewater

IMG_6113One of my favorite bloggers, deserving of a re-post…checkout any one of his most 20 visited posts. You’ll surely be warmed or touched to the core!

topofthewater top 20

And be sure to see today’s post, ‘The Mature Rose’.. inspired by Annie Lennox.

The Mature Rose

 

Pain or Pleasure


Grin and bear it!
From dumbbells
To cross fit ninja workouts,
From early commutes
To long unbearable hours,
From insufferable critics
To cultural and societal divides.

Sweat
Toil
Push yourself to the limit
As you work against your grain

Why?
Because they say
‘No pain, no gain’

Yet
Studies show
He lives longer
He lives happiest is he,
Who loves
Who is happy
Doing just what he does.
That’s Natures way.

Hormones, neurotransmitters;
Dopamine, one of the finest,
Released when you smile
Releases when you laugh
Released when you feel happy!

Side effect?
YES!
More energy
More intellectual capacity
More ‘Happy’

This was Nature’s plan
This is Nature’s gift

So say, ‘No’ to pain
Welcome pleasure
And take home
Your happiness!

Happy 19th Birthday

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Young lady!
Who are you?
Big brown eyes
Spirit of the stars
Beaming power and light…

Young lady!
Where are you?
Skipping little steps
Spirit of the adventurer
Inviting intrigue and wonder…

Young lady!
What are you?
Precious wise soul
Gift from God
Showing love and kindness

Young lady!
Why are you???
Find your reason
Ultimate opportunity of life bestowed
We wish you all

so you can unfold…

Rose

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Gently reaching upwards
Driven by the deepest thirst
Reveling in the nurturing rays

Silken petals drape
Curl and seductively pout
She knows she is a lure!

Every entranced glance
Every gentle stroke
Serves to excel her beauty

Mesmerized by her own fragrance
Kindly bestowed from within
She recognizes her gift

Preoccupied she seems
Envied by the loveless
Yet magnanimous she loves

Why oh why!
Does she tempt you so
Day and night, night and day

For she knows nothing else
Than love is all
For onlooker and herself both.

Be the rose, be the weed
The inner fragrance of love
Is the same for all

Dig past the facades
Gleam through all the layers
For you too, are your very own rose!

In The Moment..

In the quiet of the moment

All noise
All burdens
All distractions
All dissipate

In the nakedness of the moment
All layers
All colors
All embellishments
All relinquished

In the nothingness of the moment
All abundance
All magnificence
All completeness
All revealed

In the beauty of the moment
All vulnerability
All transparency
All simplicity
All acknowledged

All in just a moment
All the sound of quietness
All the completeness of nothingness
All the beauty of nakedness
All free to be felt and owned
All found in the moment
The home of everything

My Divine

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You are so near,
Yet when distanced
Even my longing is but a pleasure!

And when I return within
To this place of my home
The sweetness is so familiar
Yet constantly refreshing with the wonder of being alive..

How you are the salt to all my sustenance
The butter making all my richness.
Together I am complete
Apart I remember my fortune.

What simple divine grace and precious living..
What more is there to say
Than Thank you!
And may I always continue
Each day
In that one irreplaceable union with you.

 

Invisible Forces

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When all the elements
Soil, light and water
Present and play
The process begins..

Awakened from core to surface
The seed pushed forth
Against all pressure
Against all odds

You too
With all your history
Shackled to torment
Over and over

Plus present bite and spit
Venomous and stinging
From glare to words
Abusive, depriving

Push, push forth
As no-one sees
The invisible forces
Constantly pulling you down

Reach with all your might
Grab every trickle
Kindness, love, joy
And watch…

Smoldering flames may persist
Stand detached from the fanners
Mourn yesterday’s self
Live in today’s breath

And promise me this
You’ll reach, you’ll call
Me, the like,
All your little gifts

You will be your own angel
As you already have your wings
And this life you’ll walk alone

But you need never be lonesome!

I found a gem…

img_4032It has not facets and yet it gleams
It needs no polish and yet it shines
It lives freely for it cannot be stolen
It is priceless and yet it’s abundant,
It’s sort for universally
And vibrates through all that’s living.

So many assets
So widely prevalent
Easily underestimate
Often overlooked
Poorly prioritized.
A living death without!

Yes you’re right!
This antique
Yet renewable gem
Is LOVE.
How you find it
Where you find it,
Everyone’s story is also a gem.

Yet the truth is
You’ve always had
Your gem so close,
Yet never knowing
It could gleam
On every thing, in everyday.
For how else
Could love be all around!

The pot overflows

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When the pot is full
It overflows
Whatever it holds
Spills all over

I too am a vessel
Sometimes enchanting
Like crystal and china
Sometime dense
Like cast iron and granite
Yet always incredible by mere design

My five senses
Serving me the contents
Filling, filling
Yet somehow
Always remaining half empty

It’s take the Master craftsman
To stir and shape
Just so precisely and smoothly
As the secrets lays
Deep, deep within my moulding

With love and care
The brew begins
With a little awakening
The pot starts simmering

The essence of love
From the depth of my being
Begins to bubble
Begins to surface

The aura permeates
The lure entrancing
Ingredients of life
Begin to come alive

What was once
Just a flower
A star
A lapping wave
All now connect
As my heart is awake

Humbleness to kindness
Smooths out the creases
Love and peace
Brings out the timeless

When true love is found
From inside out
The resounding beauty
Is of no doubt

Quintessence

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Universally recognized
Here it is
This new moment
This new year

Tolling bells
Universally recognized
Chime the old out
Ring in the new

Some are sad
Some are glad
Universally recognized
Time stopping for none

Moments
Occasions
Lifetimes
All universally recognized

Irreplaceably given
Recklessly squandered
Unforgivably forgotten
Until each last

Moment
Person
Lifetime
Era and Age

If so recognized
Then what baloney
To latently lament
To wantonly procrastinate

Hitch the saddle
Reve the engine
Flap your wings
Leave the dust to settle

Set no formula
Prove no hypothesis
Cut the concepts
Feel the lifestream surge

Love; power second to none
Kindness; giver above all
Peace; love and kindness paired

Recognize this
Quintessence
And then there can be
Universal peace

In the moment…

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In the quiet of the moment
All noise
All burdens
All distractions
All dissipate

In the nakedness of the moment
All layers
All colors
All embellishments
All relinquished

In the nothingness of the moment
All abundance
All magnificence
All completeness
All revealed

In the beauty of the moment
All vulnerability
All transparency
All simplicity
All acknowledged

All in just a moment
All the sound of quietness
All the completeness of nothingness
All the beauty of nakedness
All free to be felt and owned
All found in the moment
The home of everything

Poof!

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What used to upset
Rock, overturn my boat,
No longer controls
The sway of my day

No matter the shock waves
My steel rod nerves
Come from my heart’s
Tranquil waters

The ripple and waves
Grow and threaten,
But I’ve learn no fight
Is quite the answer

Steer instead
With kindness and faith
And strength will arrive
To save the day

A little focus
A lot of love
And oh by golly
The demons have gone!

Bloom from Love

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Gloriously my heart opens
What can I possibly fear

You shine your love
So direct and radiantly

Through the many miles
Scaling the galaxy

Tireless, relentless
Never to be absent

Whether a ray or blast
With clouds attempting to overcast

How could I not
Be ready to receive

Each day I bloom
My core coming through

In all my glory
It is you I have come to know

You teach to be constant
Stray not from the focus

Each day making the effort
Is so part of the play

My beauty is the reflection
The peace, the love
You shine my way

Challenge

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Challenge

You are in this universe.
Is this not evident?
You stand on this here earth
Breathe this plentiful air
Do you not?

Or

Is the universe in you?!
What?! The stars above?
The mountains and canyons?
The seas and oceans?
This glory of God?!

How could all that be contained in me?! You ask..

Close your eyes
How deep can you dive?
How high can you fly?
The challenge is there..

Did you even know this?

Your depth is in
What lies beyond
Within,
Constantly sustaining
Constantly renewing

Learn how to soar!
On the wings of this flight
The breeze so fresh
Time is rendered ageless.

The possibility is here
Whilst you are breathing, alive
How can you know? you ask
Have you not yet felt gratitude? I ask

Have you not felt awe?
Have you not yearned for more?
Dig deep, inside and out
Scratch beyond the surface..

Past this illusion
The mundane, the routines
Find courage
Find your worth..

Then live as King
And servant both
As the greatest gifts
Both are acknowledged and unfold!

 

Moonstruck

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Rendered speechless
Eyes locked to your face
Entranced by your aura
Encased in your silvery gaze

Each night you visit
Sometimes a slither more
Sometimes a slither less
But as twilight dwindles you’ll sure be there

When in full force
To the your great mercy
Some will howl
Some will swoon

Your lunar powers
Gentle and relentless
As each wave of sea
Beats to your beam

Each blossom blooms
Each offspring is born
Each harvest collected
Each winter unfolds

All that can cycle
Cycle it does
As you stay constant
And orbit all day

Companion of Earth
You have taught me my great truths
That the one by my side
From the first day through the last

Will emerge in all shapes
With powers big and small
Will shine lights so bright
No darkness can remain

Will soften the hardest
Will beckon the lover
Will reflect my imperfections
Yet regardless will remain
Always so present

Fairytales

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Princes valiant
Victorious and virile
Princesses demure
Delicate and divine,
Castles charming
Cultured and content;
Childhood indoctrination
Visual imagery instilled.

Years, decades pass
The images engraved
Yet distanced and denied.
Worthiness questioned
Strive abandoned.

Dragons and demons
Insipid and unrecognized,
Fuel either apathy
Or suppress revived energies.

Who are these demons?
Their beastly indifference
Their monstrous tolerance
And devious submission!
How cleverly and rationally
They lock away your dreams

Discard the visual
Embrace your rights
For fairytales do come true!
You want your castle?
Your kingdom to reign?

Claim your virtues
Respect your perspective and thirst!
Then pick up your swords of
Fortitude and determination!

Perhaps you were born
Right into your fairytale
As why else did you once
Feel like king of the castle,
Conqueror of all!

Reclaim your castle
Where brick and mortar
Is of joy and kindness
Appreciation and gratitude;
And fortressed by
The love of Divine.

Timeless Beauty

Original art by Tejal Patel

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Timeless beauty
Impeccable design

Handcrafted delicately
Gracefully balanced

This is your form
This is your nature

With each one of your breaths
Come to this closer

When clarity unfolds
It permeates your all

With the flow of your pencil
Dance out the Divine

Be it words, be it illustration
The song is just the same

One of endless love and beauty!

 

 

Regal Lily

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Standing tall
In all her glory,
Bearing her core
Revealing her story.

Once a bud
Now in maturity,
Rich in elegance
Yet humbled by mortality.

From inner core
To edge of petals,
Spectrum of hues
Strength in depth.

Spring’s chilly dawns
Or sudden April showers,
All weathered through
With promise of sun’s sheltering.

Let her life story
Yield comfort and challenge,
For as she cycles through
So shall you…

Disagree

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Read me right
Don’t like my sight?
It’s ok
As I agree
We disagree
As all I want
Is to run the other way
But you stirred the fire
In my belly deep
And now compliance
Has no right
And I might
Even fight!

Written in response to a daily challenge and then I got distracted and forgot to post!

Sunrise to Sunset…

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Behold the promise of a new day
From the colors in the sky
Not a rainbow yet still quite an array.

Yellow, emerging with power
Orange to red passing passion and fire
Even dark blue is warm yet smoldering
As forced to retire by the glimmer of dawning.

Such are colors of life
Rich and in their turn take the stage.
Enjoy each hue
As the glows and shimmers, wax and wane
From life’s breaking dawn to it’s restful night…

Climb

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Smiles, humor, sarcasm
Numbing facade
Looking up, looking in
Masking, masking the pain

Each day
Promise made
‘I’m OK’
“I AM OK”!

Each night, defeated
Demons crawling
Raging discontent
Useless numbing

Hard to swallow
Impossible to cry
Heartbeat imploding
Mind hurtling

Tools employees
Moments of relief
Comfort appreciated
Gratitude known

Yet recycled
Each day the climb
Survival unknown
Too hard to keep letting go

So in need of sharing
Just a little kindness
Just a little care
Making the infinite difference

Holding close
My worthiness
Confronting the change
Keeping light in sight

The seeds well sown
The need too great
Incremental changes
Alls in motion

Grasping at any strand
Any tendril of hope
Blowing my way
In the wind of life

The task at hand
Seems so huge
Yet greater still
Is Divine’s own call

The course is steep
Summit hard to reach
But I will,  without a doubt
Just so long, as I keep it all in sight

Close your eyes..

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Close your eyes…

Colors beyond the spectrum
Hues composed of love
Sparkle yet softened
Engulfing yet inviting

A beauty unparalleled
Not visual but felt
Alluring yet freeing
Enamoring yet calming

This colorful beauty
The picture of a living haven
Visible in clear sight
Yet needing no eyes

Letting go…..


Hiding from the inevitable

Avoiding the breakdown

Denying the process
Come I say, come!

Full force and break me

Fill me with your pain
Drown me, then wash with you

Away the momentary anguish

Leave me cleaned and empty
My choice to feel the void

My blessing to fill with love

My clarity to know the truth
What’s truly mine

I can never lose

Yet given freely and abundantly replenish
This is the story of love

Never to be lost

Only to be gained
Wellspring eternal

Even for the mortal

Mesh, merge and mingle
Into every moment, everyday

Let transient slip and slide

And love shine and be forever bright

Glorious Company

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Vast fields of plenty
Golden grains and grass
Yield and tilled
Harvested and recycled

Sideline bushery
Playfully sway
Adding mischief and contour
Bringing laughter and glee

All encompassed
As mothering Sun
Shines to illuminate
Both the way and life

What simplistic harmony
With delicate balance
Nurtures and fulfills
A full array of qualities

Rest and absorb
The bountiful beauty
The inherent peace
And recognize your glorious company

Diamond

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Fragmented and splintered
Chiseled then polished
Raw yet cultured
Precious and undefeated

You are the diamond
Angularly brilliant
Independently worthy
Throughout the solitary fight

Sought for by the greedy
Hampered by mediocrity
Cajoled to conform
Yet still to stand alone

Wipe off the tarnish
Revere your elements
Withstand the pressures
Gleam from your core

For the Love of Words…

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A a beautiful expression from my adopted brother this Rakshabandan season…

The power of a few heartfelt words surpasses all differences and distances, crosses all cultures and curtailments and enables embracement and acceptance…

Tiny grains of sand

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Tiny grains of sand
Compress and surface
As a string of pearls

Singular droplets of moisture
Merge and form
The great oceans

Flimsy wisps of cloud
Float and rise
As the comforting sky

Each and every breath
Shallow or deep
Opportunities encompassing existence

Such grandeur!
Pearls, oceans, the sky
Even existence.

All nothing without
The minutiae
Grains, droplets, wisps
And every little breath.

What is it that we see?
What is it that we acknowledge?
The whole?
Or it’s parts?

What are we?
Mankind
Nations
Communities
Or individuals?

How kindly we are made!
How kindly we are acknowledged!

Each with a face
Never duplicated
Each with a beat
Rhythm unique
Each allowed
Opportunity unparalleled!

Have you seen
The part you are?
Own your chance
Claim your gift
Live your turn
No strings attached
This is your time!

Perfectly Imperfect

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Born from the vision of perfection
Bestowed assets for growth
Granted divinely devised protectors

With little awareness
Of the inner perfected treasure
The search for purpose begins

Through play
Learning and toil
The misleading snowballs

Acquisitions and merges
For relations, materials and knowledge
Take precedence over simple truths

Further and further
‘Til the connection so weak
‘Knowing’ is replaced with mere ‘belief’

Yet is not the pain of imperfection
That drives to satiate the thirst for perfection
That which leads back to perfection?

With the roll and rumble
The discontent and stumbles
The empty shell seeks a refuge

In the silence and once alone
With the most real of sounds
The One true friend comes to light

So long as there’s motion
The stir to find, and most of all
The open heart

The magnetic connection of the perfect and imperfect
Draw together, seeking each other
As after all, that was

The intended perfect play!

Divine Prayer

With each beat of your heart
Feel the swell
Let your eyes smart
And fill the well

The pound of gratitude
Can be soundless
As the torrent of tears
Can be boundless

Your heart maybe buried
Covered and cosseted
But your eyes will shine
The divine sublime

A prayer from the heart
So thankful and tender
Even with closed eyes
The message could not be clearer

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Photo: Marta Voodica Closek

Ordinary to Extraordinary

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From child to adult
Tantrums and triumphs
Explorations to exhibitions

Delving in books
Exploring the possibilities
Discovering the unbelievable

Dreams being planted
Passions evoked
Worthiness unquestionable

Trials and tribulations
Successes and successors
All necessary forces

Failure or conquest
Lessons are learnt
Purpose evolving

Formation of character
Revelation of spirit
Eruption of heart

From moment to moment
Feeling the essence
Learning the jive

No goal to reach
Prize is constant
With unlocking of now

If ever ordinary
Can go to extraordinary
This is how!!

In your honor Roshan, pleasure to witness your becoming!

All Born Kings

 

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Attire of regales
Naturally adorned

Yet what mighty weight
Held on sturdy shoulders

Looking ahead
With so much to protect

Head held high
Yet still humbled

With virtue of heart
Comes the clearest glory

Daily battles
Some won, some lost

Need no army
Wage no war

Crowned by birth
Dispute unworthy

Mother Nature’s King
Know you reign supreme!

Synchronous Joy

Big thankyou to Zerocreativity at https://zerocreativity0.wordpress.com/

for creating the challenge to write poetry to amazing photography and then publishing an online flip book..

Here is my page and below is a link to the flip book..

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https://zerocreativity0.wordpress.com/2016/07/08/photo-poetry-nature/

I Take Thee Not For granted…

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I take thee not for granted
Even when I know
You are in my every waking
And sleeping moment
Silent and still

I take thee not for granted
Even when you stand beside me
With or without
The sun
Casting a shadow

I take thee not for granted
Even though you are in the newest bud
To bud
And the oldest star
To twinkle

I take thee not for granted
Yet now I am reassured
Everyday brings new horizons
Where my fears are laid to rest
And my delights rise to fruition

I take thee not for granted
As in every pain and hardship
I have the strength of a smile
And the warmth of your wisdom
As what comes can only pass

And now I know, you only stray
As far as I, myself, let you go.
So sleep and wake I do
In that grateful remembrance,
That I am never ever alone!

Link

Audio-Human Time

Todays post is a reading of Human Time, written by Atul Ranchod… Amazing piece that captured my attention and won a semifinalist position in a national poetry contest.

Thank you, Atul, for granting me the privilege of making this recording…

Enjoy Atul’s writings at https://topofthewater.me/

The backing music credit goes to John Adorney. http://www.johnadorney.com/