life

Faces

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it is discouraging
and sad
to me
to see
Human Faces–
half obliterated –
nose, checks, mouth and chin –
well hidden,
swallowed,
by a mask
in the name of
protection.
relenting to fear and paranoid,
we separate,
decide it best not to congregate.
instead
stock, lock and cover up.
there is, of course,
a place for
diligence and precaution.
however,
when does it cross that delicate line,
demolish trust,
become too much,
threaten our humanity
to the point
we forget Faces
and
our inter-dependency?

 

The Wall

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I hit The Wall
today;
ran right into it –
mind, body and Spirit – splat!
Hit it so hard,
the tears came
tumbling down,
suddenly,
out of seemingly nowhere.
A deluge –
in public no less!
“What is this?” I cried,
trying desperately
to cover and hide.
A rare occurrence
for me-
losing control,
forced to surrender,
pause,
look,
pivot
and reconsider
choices made,
examine
subconscious motivations,
and
the allowance
of subtle intimidation.

WoMen and Men

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At their core,
in their essence –
WoMen and Men –
how different are they?
are there feelings
in a WoMan
that a
Man
cannot access
if he so chose and intended;
if he were allowed to be
who he really is
without the burden
and misconceptions
placed on him
since he a little boy child?

same with WoMan-
are there feelings and thoughts
in a Man
that a WoMan could not
understand
and express
if she felt free,
less tightly contained,
and truly seen?

We’re Human –
is all –
the masculine and the feminine,
Light and Dark.
Yin and Yang,
the need for Love,
for gentle touch,
in all.
Everything else,
a grand illusion
for simplicity
and convenience,
exacting a heavy
societal cost.

The Smile

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It is generating more attention
lately –
The Smile.

It feels as if an urgent message
from The Universe,
a response to a long-forgotten prayer,
a desperate cry uttered
while in the midst of The Abyss.

“Re-member what you are,”
The Universe whispers
delicately in the ear.
With each compliment of
The Smile,
a call for immediate re-alignment
of consciousness.

Grieve Well

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there will always be
reasons to Grieve:
some pain
some joy
a passing
transition
transformation;

something is
birthed
unfamiliar
uncomfortable
new.

what was known,
no longer is.
there is loss,
an opportunity to grieve
to metabolize grief
to break it down to digestible pieces
and reconfigure into
gratitude
acceptance
presence
wisdom
courage
a remembrance that no thing stays the same.

change, death –
both seen and unseen –
is constant.

Grieve well
let go
so as to fully
let in
through
out.

No blockages
no limitations.

What remains?
spaciousness
for manifestations.

No Ordinary Love

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Sometimes, to love someone best is to love them from afar.
It is not to entangle or become entangled into the mundane Mess.
Rather, it is to leave and make space for Self and The Other.
This is especially true for the most sensitive Souls,
the free Spirits and creatives,
the misfits and the misunderstood –
the ones who readily absorb external energy,
in whom the skin is relatively thin and the mind too malleable.
One can be a loner and a lover – different type of love, yes,
and equally as rich, sweet, and intense.
Love and intimacy are too big to be contained, restrained and
forced into a box, told what they are and are not.

COURAGE

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At the root of the word Courage is Coeur – heart in French. Apropos, I think, as courage stems from the Heart. It is not an endeavor of the head, of logic. The head would have us run, flee as fast we can, as far as we are able, from fear – our edge, that which is uncomfortable and elicits angst so powerful we become physically ill. It is the Heart, like a loving, nurturing parent, that gently encourages us to stand our ground, to face what is terrifying, to look over the perceived edge. Is it any wonder then that the Heart beats so seemingly violently – almost impatiently – as we commit to pushing ahead, pushing past our fear and self-imposed limitations. It is speaking to us loudly, boldly, forcefully. Lup Dup. “Yes, you can!” Lup Dub. “I got ya!” Lup Dup. “Jump. Fly. Let your Light shine.” Lup Dup. “Be the Change. Set an example. Be the exception.” Lup Dup. Lup Dup.

The Beat of One’s Own Drums

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to march to the beat of
One’s Own Drums,
to imitate no one,
to innovate 
from a place of deep faith
and confidence-
such a mandate
is not for
the faint
in Heart.

it takes courage 
to be free,
to be the You
that often only You can see,
to be unique, a bit of a mystique
in a world of followers and shamers.

we were made in God’s image,
reflections of The Divine, The Most High
one and onlys are we –
wonderfully crafted 
for a specific purpose and time.

the sake of humanity pleads:
spread your considerable wings!
march to the beat of your very own drums!
no need to compete,
there is more than enough room
for everyone.

Artwork: Walking the Line, Edwin Lester @artistedlester

LIFE (scene two)

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LIFE

can seem insane.
So many of us are unable
to withstand its pain.
We do our best to live,
to contribute
to a world
constantly changing
and maddening.

Still, through it all
some of us manage not to fall.
Like a seedling
making its way up through concrete,
we spread our wings,
we plant our feet.
We’ve found our place;
we are lauded and celebrated.

But then-
in the blink of an eye,
an “apparent suicide“.

What happened?!
What went wrong?!
Does not success
bring with it sustained happiness?
What of us
for whom no one makes a fuss,
who daily squeeze into an overcrowded bus
to a job that leaves us empty and numb?
If the “extra-ordinary” so regularly succumb,
how then does the “ordinary” overcome?

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation…” Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Change to Save

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I will need to change my life
in order to save it.

This I am feeling to my very core.
Don’t know  how much more
I can swallow.
I’m walkin’ on thin ice,
on troubled waters that are shallow.

Born an introvert, Quiet is the air I must breathe,
what sustains and maintains me.
Without adequate doses of silence,
I lose pieces,
become untethered,
cannot see a hopeful reality,
begin to question my existence
and that of all humanity.

Why all the noise –
the incessant chatter and mindless banter?

“Y’all gonna make me lose my mind
up in here, up in here.
Y’all gonna make me lose control
up in here, up in here.”

I will need to change my life
in order to save it.

Deprived of silence,
I feel my blood boiling,
heart racing,
hands tremblin’,
mind slipping.
I can taste that bitter, flimsy line
between love and hate;
that soft, raw space
where even the gentlest among us
can suddenly snap
and do things we can never take back.
The Devil isn’t over there-
No, it plays in us all
bidding we follow
and fall-
fall so hard and low,
we can barely stand up.

I will need to change my life,
re-claim it
in order to save it.

Exactly how to do so
overwhelms and scares –
the tide is seemingly so high.
Got to go deep inside,
to The Core
lean only on that which is Truth and pure.