April’s Resurrection

With the unexpected
Mandatory isolations,
Arrives a resurrection
Of lifestyles of old.

Families gather
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The elderly are watched over
With keenness and compassion.

The poor and homeless
Fed and sheltered.
Communities work
With united forces.

With efforts big and small
True mindfulness and consciousness
Regain strength and center stage.

Within the self
Something deep is touched,
Stirred and begs to rise
As another resurrection.

Stripped of the usual noise
Busy-ness and distractions,
There is an exposure
Of the decluttered self.

The self that knows consciousness
That feels the depth of gratitude
That recognizes the greatest love
Of the One who always cares.

With no concepts to cloud
And only a few and basic
Needs to be addressed,
The obvious is made clear.

The preciousness
Of the ultimate gift
Yet non-permanence
And fragility of life.

The question begged to be asked.
What is it that you resurrect?
Your goals and ambitions?
Your achievements and certificates?

Neither past nor future matter.
The unexpendable commodity
Is this moment now.
The frame of existence.

Resurrect your being
The qualities that enliven you
Not by what surrounds
But by what lays within.

Allow in this quiet time
Listening to the voice
Lost in the usual noise.
And resurrect what you know
You’ve always been.

Curveball

curveball

Curveballs!
Offsets the course
Upsets the routine
Messes up the plan
What a nuisance!

Life is no smooth sail!
We can all attest to that.
But are not the trials
Opportunities to find your strengths?

Life is not without mistakes!
We have all made a few
But are not the errors
Avenues of resilience and growth?

Life is not without loss!
We have all shed a tear or two.
But are not past fortunes
Relics we hold dear?

Perhaps the curveballs
Are misconstrued.
Perhaps the curveball
Is to set the track straight

Perhaps we lost our way
And needed a pointer
Perhaps we became complacent
And required a jolt!

Before you judge the throw
Set your cap
Shuffle the dirt
And get ready to bat!

Remember you’re in the game
The play is on
And you made the team
Now let’s play……’life’!

Wounds

wounded

Punches and slashes
Blood fleshy wounds
Obviously seen
Thankfully curable
Such is the open wound

Yet deeply seated
And quietly throbbing
Constantly pulsating
Aching in the darkness
Are the hidden wounds

The injured and all
Know of the fleshy wound
Horror and dismay
Sympathies abundant

So unfair and opposite
As the more painful invisible wound
Is known to none
Sometimes not even the victim

Buried below
All the layers that hide
Dormant and dangerous
Brewing to erupt

No healing possible
‘Til painfully peeled
Layer off layer
To expose and feel

Excruciating and voluntary
Only the brave can attempt
No infantry can protect
And lonesome is the quest

Not knowing the magnitude
No knowing of balms
Unbearable to share
So left alone in despair

The gloom so dark
The weight so heavy
What recourse is left
Than to crumble and fall

Yet the urge to survive
With the need to thrive
Any reprieve from within
Begins the mighty climb

So open those wounds
And scream and fight
‘Worthy am I’
‘Survivor am l’

Acknowledge the wound
Dissect the making
Denounce the pain
Throw off the shackles

Freed from the vice grip
Having conquered the trials
Release your greatness
And rise in your flight

Hope

Written by someone who never ceases to  amaze me… my baby brother, Dipak Patel.

hope

Some call it positive thinking
Other consider it an attitude
What is that feeling of hope
How does it churn our very insides.

Some call it blind expectation
Others consider it denial of facts
Why is it essential to life
When does it come into its own

Some say without it we’re doomed
Others feel like dieing when it is lost
Where does it truly reside
Who holds the answers about hope

Could hope be that driving force
To fuel our endeavors
As it lifts our souls
As easily as it can pop our balloon

Hope is not blind but a vision
A picture of the possible
Let hope be the colors on your palette
The medium of your painting heart

Hope is at the foundation of you
What you hope has the highest chance
Never lose that lantern of hope
Let it guide you, defend you and above all…

Allow hope into your life with every breath.