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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. 

Hiroshima

Countless children at school

Workmen at construction sites,

All unknowingly said a final goodbye that morning…

A white to grey plumage rose to the sky

As crimson red flames scorched the ground

Soon a black radioactive rain showered down.

The range of pain that ensued 

Completely breaks the heart

Churns the stomach

Depresses the mind to non-functional.

This the feeling 80yrs later 

Viewing the Children’s memorial

The Atomic Bomb Dome

Names, endless names…..

Reading the personal stories, 

Mothers’ searching for their children

Orphaned children housed by strangers,

All burnt, scarred, mammed, or with post exposure sickness.

City, housing, families, lives

Destroyed or left unrecognizable.

Mass destruction followed by 

Prolonged suffering and ugly painful deaths.

A truth known by the rest of us from history class 

This 3D evidence 

Even when second hand, 

Screams volumes 

Lessons learnt but easily forgotten 

Time, distance 

Poor excuses.

Are we not at a precipice 

Where so easily 

We could repeat history?

Only with greater

Far reaching force and destruction?

Our power is limitless 

As darkness and light.

Now is the time for unity 

To prevent another Hiroshima.

Acknowledge the pains of past atrocities, 

Claim the light, kindness and understanding from within

Let today’s children never have to learn and visit further new memorial sites.

Nepal to Nara

The man, Siddharthar Gautama,

Of Indian decent 

Known now across all continents.

‘Princedom’ childhood

Protected and privileged 

Lap of luxury.

Curiosity of a tender 

Wholesome heart.

Peeking beyond the fortress

Tears of realization, 

Suffering is omnipresent

Nirvana is not created.

With stillness,

Acceptance, 

Came actualization.

Everything has its place 

Dharma, Karma, Samsara.

With responsibility taken

Each can find our Buddha within;

Enlightenment to tread this earth

Free of entrapments, suffering.

The path from Nepal

The spirit of Buddha

Sits giant-like 

In Todaji Temple,

Surrounded 

By the bowing deer of Nara.

Gazing up

To the height and depth 

Of this monumental form,

My spirit expands 

With a knowingness, 

That it is only my stillness

That brings

My samsara,

My nirvana,

Right here, right now;

Which ever corner 

Of the planet I sit. 

Samurai

Dedicated 

Diligent

Disciplined

In practice  

In principle

In progress.

Consistent 

Committed

Conscious 

To history

To honor

To heritage.

Where is the ‘Samurai’ of today??

Are they not the men, women of our armed forces?

Do we not ask of them this?

Barrack training when young and impressionable

Indoctrinated to preserve the homeland,

Returning scarred, at times flesh wounds none to seen

Injured down to the soul.

How can we pay homage to such sacrifices?

How do we expect this unquestioned service?

Perhaps a return to respecting and upholding 

Our forefathers,

Their wisdom, their foresight.

Making clear

To acknowledge our privilege,

Our priorities.

Standing by

Our promises

Our patrons, fellow countrymen 

Allies and mankind.

May the heart of the Samurai 

Be known to us today,

May the humility,

The character 

The sanctity be preserved.

May each man 

Each woman 

Take stock of what can be lost 

When traditions, culture 

Values and knowledge

Are compromised

And worse still, disregarded.

Japan Waters Teach

In secluded Teahouses, 

Shrines surprising on any given dori,

Onsens, lakes and glistening stalactites;

Water everywhere is revered…

Quenching

Rejuvenating 

Exhilarating 

Purifying…

Immerse into Onsen waters,

Healing heat and minerals

Weightlessness teaches trust

Promise of nature’s caring protections.

Teahouses simmer waters ceremoniously,

With ‘Harmony’ between the articles and the environment 

Utmost ‘Respect’ of the process

Precision and care for ‘Purification’ 

All with ‘Silence’ and concentration.

Passing though a Tori, shrine after shrine 

Welcoming water wells and baths

Offer cleansing of the body,

Both inside and out.

Hosted by Hozu-gawa River

Floating along oar by oar,

Accompanied by scenic trains, birds

Along embankments and bridges alike 

Until a squeezed passageway

Between silver grey boulders 

Rocking and splashing,

Rapids, cool and drench…

What of this liquid

Colorless

Tasteless

Yet infinitely irreplaceable!

Unique to the Pale Blue Dot.

I hold you in my cupped hands,

You kiss my surrendering lips 

You run through my veins

Synchronized to life itself.

Anticipating Japan

Islands pieced together 

Around lakes, mountains 

Hills and plains

From snow topped Mt. Fuji, Arashiyara Bamboo Forest and Nara Park 

To Hiroshima’s peace bell

Nature’s delights to human demolition

The sword of the invincible Samuri

The demure and enduring Geishas 

Monks, priest, their shrines and temples

From looming Tokyo SkyTree Tower and TMG building

To the frenzy of Shibuya Scramble  

The amazement of Team Lab Planets

To the tranquility

Of Cherry Blossoms in Sumida Park

Languid picnic-ing with sips of sake….

Ahhh the Red Sun awaits 

With promise of Onsen waters 

And endless matcha and Butter Butler pastries…

Can’t wait to meet you 

My brothers, sisters 

Of a culture, language and history

That’s already captured my heart!

Pained

Pain, pain go away

Come again another day

If you really have to!

What is pain

This feeling so disliked

With discomfort, anguish 

Turmoil and more?

But wait…

Is it not ultimately a balancer?

A reminder?

That our painless moments

So easily forgotten, 

Are so very priceless.

So letting this shower of pain,

Much like the rain,

Drench me right now

As my body defaults, 

And my mind revolts,

Leaving me not knowing whether 

To succumb to the noise,

Or smash out of the bubble

With neither quite possible.

I return to a stillness

Where there echos an ancient whisper 

Where my breath becomes my umbrella.

This place is my solace,

My palace without 

Walls, fortresses,

As no defense is necessary.

Simply boundless

Cosmic and ethereal, 

Putting back into place 

The futility of any fight.

Letting go

Unclenching 

Relaxing 

And with a flow of peace

The light of gratitude returns,

Darkness withdraws 

And with clarity, pain can be understood 

And even managed. 

Inferno

Innocent sparks ignite

A simple flicker to a glow of a flame 

Then a roaring fire to an acreage eating blaze!

The oxygenated wind 

In her bewildered dance

Is she swirling in a rage? 

Or like the birds

Horses, dogs and cats

Squirrels, skunks 

And even every man;

Is she obsessed in her flurry 

To escape?

Not knowing herself 

Her power 

Her realm,

She laps up the terrain 

Bring insufferable heat

Suffocating smoke and ash.

Man’s effort to defend, to fight

To save, to rally together 

Brings forth the hour of humanity.

Apocalyptic carnage 

Leaves molten metal,

Literal dust of all wood

Brick and mortar 

Homes and lives 

Emptied, destroyed, obliterated. 

Not a trinket left to salvage. 

What is this?

A lesson to be learnt?

Explanations galore!

From Politicians

Geophysicists 

And every pundit and priest.

‘But hasn’t it happened before?’

‘Oh but never so destructive,

Never as bad as this!’ 

They say.

Perhaps we encroached 

A little too far

In deserts, mountains, coast lines.

Where man is not exactly sustainable.

This planet, 

This space

For the span of your lifetime, 

Is a ‘rental’

We forget.

It was here before us,

And will be for sure, 

Here without us.

So put aside 

The finger pointing, 

The grievances 

The many explanations.

With coming together,

Understanding our nature 

Our opportunity,

Let hope and innovation flourish

Unity lead,

Humility and compassion serve

And respect be universe.

*”It is in the ‘darkness’ 

Of devastation, 

man made(war) or not,

Is when we need the ‘candle of light”

*paraphrased words of Prem Rawat

Fall

Fall time, fall years

Culmination of beauty

Wisdom

Perspective.

Immersed and surrounded

By a depth,

Only time can give.

Riches,

Only experience can gather.

Gratitude,

Only surrendering reveals.

The fine lines 

The atrophy

The forgetfulness,

Ceases to grip 

As anguish begins to melt.

What comes, will pass

What hurts, will fade

And peace is found,

As the cyclic natural of all

Comes to light.

And most of all,

A returning

To a consciousness.

Floating with a birds eye view

Disengagement from drama, trauma.

All that’s created here 

To be left here

Returning to a neutral purity.

As we came, shall we return.

No baggage,

But definitely not empty handed. 

As what was the purpose

Of this interlude

Between birth and death, 

‘Life’ as we call it, 

This opportunity, this experience.

To have take form of the ‘Source’.

And then to walk, to wander,

To wonder, to revel

In this creation 

Beyond comprehension. 

What minuscule chance 

We have to exist

Where galaxies and universes reign.

Yet here we are.

Be sure to query and question,

To spark your thirst 

To to find your why,

And finally ‘KNOW’ thyself.

As your ‘fall’ fades 

And the winter will ensue 

Be sure to have built 

The one relation standing firm to the end.

  • What’s Wrong With Hope

    What’s wrong with Hope

    Poor health, wealth

    Decaying relationships,

    Stuck in the mud 

    Of the societal mind.

    Driven to hoping, 

    Wishing

    Praying 

    Waiting.

    Hoping for that brighter day

    Bringing the better job,

    The perfect mate 

    The greater joy, the best life.

    For the more vulnerable 

    Addictions numb the pain,

    The Isolation

    Anger, resentments.

    Hope, the ultimate excuse

    For avoiding the only truth,

    The present

    The now.

    We are so close, yet become so far 

    From each breath,

    Each whisper of love 

    The unseen cradled embrace. 

    Conditioned to see 

    Only the picture of happiness

    Made of material abundances,

    Independence, successes and achievements 

    The list goes on and on.

    But the essence of you 

    Remains hungry,

    Starved.

    The glitter dissolves, 

    Even becomes sickening 

    Lacking vibration 

    And vitality.

    Hope not for a better tomorrow,

    Hope for today

    The light to ignite 

    Your flame, your fire,

    The ultimate defense

    To all that’s smothered 

    And shattered your being.

    Don’t lose this battle 

    On this one, is built the war, 

    The war of life. 

    Be your own warrior, savior 

    Sit not and hope.

    Stand, run if you have to 

    But done whither 

    In hopeless hope.

  • 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.
  • Retirement

    Laurie


    So many paths crossed,
    Personally
    Professionally.

    May times
    The lines
    Have blurred.

    Why?
    Open acceptance
    Active listening,

    Sparking trust,
    Becoming
    A confidant.

    Inspiring possibilities,
    Nurturing
    Unfurling others’ wings.

    You leave
    A legacy
    Of time, dedication.

    You traveled
    Selflessly
    And not alone.

    Endless recruiting;
    Had a family
    Not of blood

    But of a greater testimony,
    One of voluntarily
    Empowering.

    You leave behind
    A force!
    Women believing

    In themselves,
    Each other,
    The value of team.

    Co-worker
    Boss
    Friend;

    More the ‘Godmother’!
    I embrace
    Applaud

    Value
    Appreciate
    Our paths crossing.

    Now sail
    Into retirement.

    But my friend,
    Your ‘work’ of forging sustaining relations
    Is not yet done;

    As this remains your core characteristic,
    And retirement does not stop the clock;
    Only where you go.

  • 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.

Volcano to Sun

Hollow and deep

Bubbling and boiling 

Brewing beneath the surface 

Puffing, spewing, pouring 

Mount Vesuvius, St.Helens, Kilimanjaro.

Eternally ignited 

Sizzling globe

Furnace of power 

Brighter than bright

Our greatest star the Sun.

Both ominously glorious

Nature’s universal creations

Gargantuously majestic 

Purpose essential 

To this ecosystem of life.

Qualities of both

The Sun

The volcanoes 

Beholden in each and every human.

Some bright and glowing 

Sharing their light

Impartial, inclusive 

Rising above the nonsense.

Some are shy, reserved 

Yet their depth can be sensed

As power resides 

At the core of their being.

With the stroke of kindness

Peppering of understanding 

The human can rise

From dormant volcano 

To enigmatic candle.

Shared is this earth, this time 

So realize, capture 

The preciousness 

Of this merciful gift of existence.

What an experience, this human life

From mundane and tiresome 

To privileged and magical

As the switch so simple

When each breath, each moment 

Is valued as priceless.