where there is fear

where there is fear,

there can be no Love.

where there is fear,

there can be no joy.

where there is fear,

there can be no Altruism.

where there is fear,

there can be no

accountability.

where there is fear,

there is no reason –

only vast illusion.

where there is fear,

there is no freedom,

only manipulation.

where there is fear,

there is no authority –

one’s agency rendered

a mere commodity.

where there is fear,

there is no clear vision –

that we are One –

interconnected –

can be preached

but not seen or embodied.

where there is fear,

there lives hate –

disdain of “the other”

and, therefore, the self.

where there is fear,

there can be no satisfaction,

only constriction

no sense of self-actualization –

“life” becomes about survival

at any cost, collaboration

rarely genuinely sought.

where there is fear,

there is Wall,

a massive edifice,

around mind, body, and

Soul –

voluntary imprisonment

in the name of security,

nationalism,

and tribe preservation.

where there is fear,

subjugation and humiliation

do not hide

and distorted masculinity

thrives.

where there is fear,

there is also opportunity

to perceive differently,

to soften,

to widen,

to cultivate a faith

that surpasses

human understanding.

The Heart ❀️ once wildly lost

can again be found πŸ™

a child at play

I am

a child

at play,

blissfully oblivious

to the perceived madness

“out there”.

In my imagination

I dwell

touching Earth 🌎

and Sky πŸ™

No war in here,

nothing to fight for.

No hatred,

only true Love.

Generosity always,

in lieu of greed’s

incessant needs.

So bright,

exquisitely simple,

where I play.

Ease-full

especially when

the discomforts come.

CommUnity,

where I play.

It’s a small

intimate world 🌎

We know

see

hear

heal

tend to

each other.

Not Perfection –

far from it –

we are children

after all!

In our play Ground,

chaos joyfully dances πŸ’ƒ

with Innocence!

We are children

at play!

Come,

now,

join us!

All are welcome!

True Peace

can there be

True Peace

where there is

no re-pair

after harms

and ruptures,

no amends made,

no truths expressed

nor apologies extended

for sustained reconciliation?

this feels like

seeds being sowed

that may

ultimately reap

more violence

more trauma

more broken πŸ’” ness

more hatred and

sense-less destruction.

can there ever be

True Peace

where The Feminine voice

is left out,

where Love has been

forgotten

and diplomacy severely

abandoned,

where toxic masculinity

reigns

and unbridled arrogance

pats itself on the back?

how to cultivate

True Peace

in the midst of blatant

inequality,

where tenderness

and care

are nowhere

and domination

is centered?

do we even know what

True Peace

is

any longer?

have we ever?

the wall of glass

an explosion!

a dismantling of perceived power,

a dramatic testament to impending change.

life cannot be contained,

controlled,

doled out in calculated bits

to a privileged few.

all this witnessed

through the wall of glass.

time ending for those over there –

the workers –

nearer to the raging Fire πŸ”₯

and billowing towers of toxic smoke.

the possibility of extended time

and, perhaps, lessons,

for those over here,

a bit farther awayΒ  –

the family of consumers

living in the house 🏠

with the wall of glass.

contradictions

I don’t recall

ever

seeing your violent side.

To me, you were always

one-of-a-kind  –

the cool,

tall,

dark & handsome uncle.

Never saw the part of you

who terrorized

your beautiful wife;

the you

who would beat

women

children

with a baseball bat!

Could I have loved you

if I had witnessed that?

Like Jekyll & Hyde,

we humans.

So many contradictions

and perplexing multitudes.

“Good” and “evil”

in equal measure

cutting through

all our hearts.

Are we to be confined

to the worst moments

of our lives?

We are made

crafted

molded

into who we become.

No innate monsters,

only beings

tragically un-done

wrecking havoc

in their altered state.

How do we be different –

infuse more love and tenderness;

choose significantly less violence,

champion wit and wisdom

instead of whips on children’s skin

and weapons of mass destruction?

Yolanda

Are you homeless?”

she asked,

penetrating my self immersion.

No, why?

I responded, a tad vexed.

Because of your bag,”

she said,

pointing to the shopping cart

I was wheeling behind me.

I am homeless,”

she shared.

I stopped,

emerged from my shell.

We stood

face to face

under a first quarter moon,

meeting each other.

Yolanda was her name –

engaging,

loquacious,

deeply rooted in her faith,

enamored of the Celestial Realms.

She spoke of harrowing experiences in the local shelters,

of the inconsiderate and dangerous conditions  –

especially

for a woman

alone.

Just a year ago,

Yolanda had a home,

a husband,

was employed with a car.

A divorce rendered her without,

leading to her sleeping

outside

for the first time

on a frigid and blustery night.

Yolanda alluded to

grown children,

yet gave thanks

only to the kind strangers

who kept her fed

and still alive.

“I will pray for you,”

I offered humbly.

And I have,

and will continue to

pray for Yolanda

and all in our human family

on their own

out

in the bitter cold.

This is not the way it’s supposed to be!

We are each other’s keeper!

Indeed, we are each other!

When did we forget this?

No mere coincidence,

my time with Yolanda.

Divinely orchestrated,

potent seeds planted.

An assignment awaits.

Grace

we fall down

and we get up

we fall asleep

and we wake up

back and forth

up and down

the spectrum of consciousness

we go

round and round

the cycle of unwellness

until

sometimes quite suddenly

a shift

from deep Within

Grace

a gentle beckoning

to another

completely different

way

Still-ness

Still-ness

is quiet

and slow;

a Mountain top

in lieu of

the marketplace;

blessed Solitude

chosen over

the complexities

of company.

Still-ness

is the Moon’s femininity

relative to

the Sun‘s great fiery πŸ”₯

may we Be Stll

to know

to then act

from Heart πŸ™

The Illumination of Benevolence

The Stunning Presence

you see,

that is The Illumination of Benevolence.

The Eloquence

you perceive,

that is The Expression of Benevolence.

The Care

you feel,

those are The Hands of Benevolence πŸ™

Empty vessels, we can be

when we surrender –

completely –

to Benevolence’s Will.

Then we consider

everyone, all beings

no thing left behind –

abandoned

forsaken.

the brink

what have we become?

un-done

dis-embodied

dis-membered

fear-full

looking

here then there

longing

for a time

that never was

desperate

for salvation

from the outside

un-able to go

in

down

and way back

to lineage

repressed

depressed

lonely

confused

thankfully πŸ™

a few

awakened

just enough

perhaps

to save us all from

The Brink