life

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

Redo or not?!

The one thing I would redo…

At 58 I sit and ponder

What would I redo?

Would I redo the daisy chains made on my middle school fields

Would I redo the endless questions posed to my mother about the hows and what fors of nature

Would I redo the cooking explosions making pasties and cakes in my besties’ mom’s kitchen

Would I re do the pains of teen metamorphosis 

Would I redo the fantasies of first love

Would I redo the dreams of who I wanted to be

Would I redo the endless tears struggling with health, the I’m not good enoughs 

Would I redo the fears and doubts of immigrant life 

Would I redo the losses of loved ones too dear to name

NO!!!

None would I redo 

As they broke the mold

They blazed a furnace 

And created the me today

With humility and gratitude

A serene peace 

A most thankful heart 

I am here today 

As the grace of life continues to be gifted

With a knowing that prevails 

All is just how it needs to be for me 

Thankyou for all your lovely birthday wishes this 2025!

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.

The Hidden 

Source of all creation,
Sort for in disguise 
As power, status,
Accumulated accolades and acquisitions. 

Fluid yet omnipresent,
Like the soft drizzle of rain
Slowly, flowing and circling 
Back to the seas.

We are that drop
Manifested of love
Looking for love,
Lost in the storms.

How delicate this play,
A scavenger hunt designed
Clues strewn in your path,
Undeniable beauty 

In every bud, petal
Baby, cub,
Ancient story,
Familial feeling.
 
Filled with an intrigue
The search is endless,
Yet the prize sits
Literally under you nose.

If the thirst is sincerely evoked 
The universe concedes.
With every stardust particle 
Your true love, the union

Uncloaks, lays naked
And embraces.
Here is heaven on earth
And the game of love

Is truly afoot.
As now the longing and satiation  
Can be played each day
With lover and love 

All in one abode.
Know the temple, your own being 
Feel the beloved ,as home 
Is completely where your heart is.

Hanging on by a nail…

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.

Diwali

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 

Grief Postponed


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

Epitome of being Loved

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

….fulness….

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

“Self-care” Bah humbug!

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