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Independence

Independence Day

Liberty! 

Justice! 

Freedom!

All corner stones of a great nation right?

Independence of thought, will and action

With an unalienable liberty for beliefs, customs, values 

Most importantly, the practice of prayer in a God of your own understanding,

With equal justice for all men

And a freedom for the love and pursuit of joy and happiness.

Vibrational words 

Marked by human sacrifice 

Now parrot-like repeated 

With what understanding?!

For a moment 

Put aside national independence.

As a citizen in your own body 

Do you know your own voice?

Or is it drowned out by the noise 

Of your conditioned, ego driven mind?

What liberty do you strive for? 

Have you considered the company of your silence,

Where your heart beats and leads; 

Not the burdens of duties, obligations and expectations.

Is there justice in your existence 

For the proclamation of life 

A celebration granting acknowledgement of breath, 

As, is it not, the foundation of every living moment?!

And freedom!

What freedom has been denied?

When here we are 

On the ONE planet, Earth

Amongst a plethora of stars, galaxies and the cosmic web.

Such great qualities in life have never been acquired

They have been GRANTED.

The artificial boundaries, barriers,  

Conjured and conceptualized, 

Giving man seeming power over one another. 

Results ??

Trials of war created 

Supposedly treaties signed 

Societal order, developed and sustained?

What evidence of the painstaking history 

As today with loss of the individual’s 

Self awareness, consciousness, 

Nurturing of dignity and gratitude.

What do we have left!?

If you need to fight 

Fight for and then surrender 

To your inner glory

Where resides the greatest source of

Of all wisdom 

Giving you your liberty, justice and freedom

Once felt, each man will become your brother 

Each foe, seen as your troubled friend.

Differences dissipate 

As the power from within cannot be unseen.

Attend, practice 

To that which shows you your way, 

Let your candle never be dimmed 

Allow your joys’ greatness reign over any challenge.

Reclaim this independence, liberty 

Justice and freedom; 

Your God given rights from birth,

All the way through 

To the very end.

The Final Sprint 

With the heart thumping, pumping
The mind continuing it’s spinning, revolting 
The spirit seeking its home, it’s peace;

And those first freedoms
To feel joy,
Gratitude 
Most definitely still present;

We find ourselves 
Curling up at the edges,
No longer able to stretch the limbs and tendons
Color fading to the hue of lifelessness.

Here nearer to the final ‘wall’
The essence of life 
Ever present, its gentle rhythm
One breath at a time.

Held in your mother’s arms
Then your lover’s, 
Always your creator’s,

You’ve always been held.
This your mission
Was to be known, felt and realized.

This journey, challenging and intriguing,
Scratching your way 
Through the concepts, doubts 
Asking again and again

Am I worthy?
Did I do enough?
Was I enough?

Look no further 
As each gifted breath 
The only proof.
Yes, you are most worthy.

Relax, breathe
Let the organic material 
Of form, both yours and society 
Ebb away.

Full circle 
Back to the beginning,
Breath, heart beat,
The rhythm of life.

Swing and pulse 
With and in it,
Here the dance started 
Here it shall end.

One and the same 
For all who have come.
What makes the difference?
Nothing more or less, than the bridge.

This mortal state 
Allowing acknowledgement 
Of the immortal essence.
Nothing complicated, yet it is 

The all encompassing,
Love! 
Feel it, accept it, like nothing else
Vibrating in your every cell.

Truth of Confusion

Truth,

What is.

Confusion,

Everything else..

Concepts

Perceptions

Conditioning.

Fear

Guilt

Insecurities.

Imagination 

Learnt behaviors

Expectations.

All run you wild 

Physically

Mentally.

Driven by 

Cortisol

Adrenalin.

Slowing, 

Applying 

The brakes 

Takes 

Practice,

Self talk

In kindness,

Forgiveness

Self worthiness.

Truth,

You are.

Confusion,

Transient attributes.

Whether 

Actual

Or not.

Truth,

Your are dynamic.

Confusion,

You want definition.

Truth,

You are free.

Confusion,

You feel tied.

Breathe

Breath.

Feel 

Flow. 

This the 

Only

Possible

Truth there is.

You

Need 

To know.

Marvel

A New Year, 

A new day

A new second

The human perspective 

So small

So narrow

When the universe 

So ginormous 

So vast.

Discoveries at their peak

With the use of the Hubble 

To James Webb telescopes 

Existence 

Distance

Evolution 

Now seen or understood 

In limitless beauty 

And the mastery of design.

We,

The entire history of our human race,

Here 

For even less than a minute,

If all existance 

Scaled into an appreciation of a day. 

And yet we still 

Marvel at the beginning 

And end of a ‘year’

Rhetoric of the ‘Now’

Being ‘Present’

All commercialized, trendified!

Yet here lies

Every possibility that can be had.

Look no further 

Look not to the vastness of the skies

But into the realm of your heart,

You encapsulated yet circulate

In both universes

Inside and out.

Only one can be truly 

Felt, understood 

Beyond any doubt, 

That you are as magnificent as

All the stars, galaxies 

Milkyways

And Universe.

You are the drop 

In the ocean,

Yet that ocean

Is within you.

Marvel, not at the New Year, 

Marvel at You!

You are existence 

In all it’s beauty,

Magnificence 

And all possibilities.

Happy recognition 

Of Now, 

The day

And of You!

Ignorance

Man’s greatest curse 

Ignorance of who he is.

So what are we!?

We are dust that has come alive 

Dust that is impregnated 

By the ultimate 

Giving movement, thought and spirit 

Beyond imaginable incredibility.

If for a moment we dare to appreciate 

That we are drops of water, 

Chemicals and their reactions,

Unfathomable yet engineered 

Into synchronicity and self regulation, 

With nature’s bell curve 

From infancy to geriatric demise, 

Given the fortune of possibly seven decades or more.

Where in this timeframe 

Did we give credence

To the liberty of life?

Too busy distracted 

With fear, greed, and a presumed freedom 

When all along 

The ultimate has been bestowed, 

Day after day 

Each a renewed opportunity 

To participate, to glorify 

Existance.

For in a blink of an eye 

And as your actual eyes close, 

It will come to an end 

And what will it have all meant? 

Nothing!

For it was only for you alone 

To enjoy, to unfold, to acknowledge 

This relationship 

You, your existence, your sustainer.

So don’t take lightly 

Revel in your seasons,

Reflect and learn your lessons 

Grow and reach towards the light within.

As only then 

Will you beam and reflect

A truth for yourself and your community 

Both.

Art by Catrin Welz-Stein

Silence

Poetry Pharmacy – Silence 

“How still, how happy! Now I feel 

Where silence dwells is sweeter far

Than laughing mirth’s most joyous swell

However pure its raptures are.”

Emily Brontë 

Ahhhh this place of silence 

Awaiting my arrival day and night 

No appointments, no reservations 

No declines, no rescheduling.

Premium seat guaranteed 

Reception perfectly suited 

To wash away the tarnishing mind

Silence with peaceful hum of breath 

Music with depth greater than the heart 

This the purest of joys!

Anniversaries

Dates that come around

Reminding of happy times,

Times we commemorate 

Births, milestones

Achievements

And then there is death.

The time span of existance 

This we have made the measure of life,

A beginning and an end.

But the mess in the middle 

The delicious filling 

Between two slices of bread,

Of what endless choices we have 

What pleasure it brings,

What surprises we have.

So this day, today

I celebrate not commiserate,

The life of a man, the life of my Dad.

If he taught one thing,

It was to get up and go

For there was always much to be done

Always much to be had.

So in his memory

Sisters let wake. 

Let’s get up and go

Go in life, with his push forever behind us

But on our path, of our making.

For finding our zest and zeal 

Lies not with and through those we have and those we’ve lost 

But deep within ourselves

As we make the choices, 

To grow and connect 

With the source 

That cannot leave,

Will not abandon

Is always waiting

To catch,

To promote

To praise

With each little gifted

Moment,

Breath

Presence.

Mat-Eternity

Beyond the nursing

Diaper changing

Feeding, bathing

The endless list of verb-ing

A mother subliminally shares

The deepest bond 

Where emotions are perceived 

Dreams, aspirations are known

Fears and regrets are soothed

She is a super hero

Magical strength

Far reaching vision

Always recognizing 

All you need

All she can do 

And to do it 

With an unshakable love.

How does the saying go?

Mothers are angels

Without wings 

Sent by God

How fortunate 

That each and everyone of us 

Is-was blessed

Not without but with our very own angel.

And even when

No longer Earthly

She stays close to our heart

Whispering day and night

Sweetness second to none

Encouragement and praise showered as

Only a mother can and will.

So hold your child

Cherish your mother 

As everyday’s a gift 

And take not for granted 

To mother or be mothered.

Goodbye

How did you manage

In such a short time 

Two weeks of my time

Give me a life time of yours

Approached with anxiety

Perhaps even trepidation 

A nervous excitement 

A sort of delirium 

With the softest of landings

Then scooped into the Shinkansen 

The magnetism began

As the tracks journeyed straight to my heart

With each embraced tradition

Whisking matcha tea

Adorned in geisha gowns 

Surrendering into healing Onsens

Stepping bowed headed

Into Shrines and Temples

Ringing bells

Unfolding fortunes

Tasting pickles

Slurping ramen 

Drinking plum wine

‘Gochisousama’

Back now in my own land

I savor my mochi

Cook my own ramen

Soak in my bathtub 

Feeling a loss

Harboring a longing

Miss feeling your kindness

Your welcome each morning

With awe for all your humility 

Your grace, your simple joyfulness

I kneel and surrender 

In thankfulness that we met. 

The Geisha

The Geisha

This artful entertainment,

Began in the 7th century 

With male exclusivity. 

1751 saw the entry of females

From where developed a most respected Japanese female professional.

Historically by the strikingly beautiful,

The most obedient and apt 

For learning and discipline, 

As many a sacrifice required. 

From physic maintenance

To unquestioned availability 

With renouncement of any personal life.

Learning of the arts,

Developing intellectual prowess,

All for the utmost professional engagement

Yet individualized and tailored hostessing.

Once taken/sold into a Hanaachi, Flower Town,

Becoming part of an Okiya*

Training began, sometimes as early as in the pre-teens.

As a maiko*

Learning to dance, sing

Perhaps play the samisen*

Navigate the host and his guests;

Each geisha working to develop

A customer base

Loyal for her particular services.

As such, Mineko Iwasaki, 

Became the most renown giesha

At the young age of 21years. 

Today, a mere 1000 exist 

Primarily in the Gion district of Kyoto.

With white powdered face

Stature of a queen, 

Maided by her maiko

Chauffeured to her teahouse.

An upheld culture,

By those even more dedicated 

Than their predecessors,

To a heritage and history

As modern technologies, tourism,

Misunderstandings invade 

Their traditions and values.

Privileged to witness

Such an art, a dedication 

By women with stout independence.

I’m humbled in their presence 

For sustaining a feminine standard 

Of the highest integrity and honor.