poetry

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.

Plenitude

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 

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

Ancient Beads 


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.

Breath

A simple puff of air
More magnanimous 
Than the greatest 
Of grandest gestures
 
You hold the essential
Of all that is
All that was 
And all that will be
 
Present as a mere undertone
An undercurrent 
Rarely front and center
Yet there is no me without you
 
Your ebb and flow
My love and joy
Your to and fro
My gift and glow
 
Within this cycle
Lays all that can be
Right here, right now
Not before nor after
 
So thankful for the reminders
So grateful for the chances
To feel present in letting go
To feel held in bowing low

Butterflies

Art by Svetlana Yunusova


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