Archive | March 2011

The river of love

Mar30

A road might end at a single house, but it’’s not love’’s road
Love is a river, drink from it

Rumi

 

Love is a river
Drink from it!

 

Love flows like water
And nourishes the soul

Can’’t contain love
Can’’t run out of love
Love is not limited to a person or a place
Love flows eternal
It’s generous!

Love can flow like a torrent, wild
It can meander like a gentle stream
It can be noisy and loud
It can be quiet and serene

Love’s essential
It vivifies us
And without it
We will shrivel and die

 

Lida Berghuis
March 27th, 2011

One sock off!

Mar23

Nicholas has one sock on
One sock off
It’s an odd image
But what stands out
Is the he does not mind!

I see him walking down the hall
One sock on
One sock off
I wonder why he doesn’t
Take the other sock off
Or put the first sock on!

Asymmetry
Something odd
It catches my eyes
He is so at ease with himself
Walking one sock on
One sock off!

I ask him
“What happened to your sock?”
He says, “Natasha took it off!”
And keeps walking
One sock on
One sock off
I keep staring at him
And wonder why
It bothers me so much
That he has only one sock on!

Lida Berghuis
February 23rd, 2004

Hidden roots

Mar22

We see the branches
But the roots are invisible to us
When the tree sheds its leaves
We may think it has died

But appearances are deceiving
There is so much we don’t see
And often it’s the hidden that is important
Appearances can deceive

While the branches sleep their winter sleep
The roots are alive and well
They are patiently waiting for good weather
To help the branches awaken

When spring comes we see with delight
That the tree was always alive
To see reality and not just form
We need to look deeper down

We need to know the spiritual laws
In order to realize
That what we consider calamity
May be a healing balm
What we consider misfortune
Can be a gift in disguise
Old leaves need to be shed
For new ones to grow
We have to look at the result
Not how things look

With insight, faith, and heavenly guides
We will learn to navigate this life of trials
We will learn to see the rainbow
At the end of the storm
We will learn to be patient
Mediate, and grow

On this first day of spring
I look outside
The trees are bare
But it won’t be long
Before they will wear their
Garments of green
Before their blossoms will
Perfume the streets

Lida Berghuis
March 21st, 2011

Soul sisters

Mar19

A mighty torrent flows
From heavens above
If I stand under it
It will wash off the dross

Inspiration
Is always there
If I open my heart

Words written long ago
By the hands of one who’s gone
Touch my heart

Sisters in this tradition
We call poetry
Women writing
For themselves and humanity

Women’s voices
Were often not heard
But times are changing
Woman’s voice is now honored

May 21st, 2004
Shrine

Reading Homage to Emily Dickinson
By Roger White

Normal?

Mar16

What is normal?
I’’be come to the conclusion
That “normal” does not exist!
My normal is someone else’’s insanity
Your normal, perhaps not so normal to me!

It could be that normal has a range
A wide range
From shy and quiet,
Contemplative and severe
To joyful and bubbly,
A bit manic and ecstatic!

Who are we to say what’’s normal?

Does normal mean predictable,
Obedient
One who follows rules?
Because artists do none of the above
And we would not want to have a society
Without artists, for sure

Does normal mean not in the fringes
Out of the box?
Off the chart?
Because life would be boring
If we were all in the box!

Does normal mean
Within the fdboundaries of reason
Dictated by culture and tradition?
Because nothing would change
If someone did not push
The boundaries at times

So, normal is relative
Based on our expectations
Our world view
Our culture

What is normal to me may
May be your definition of abnormality!

Lida Berghuis
March 16th, 2011

Friendship

Mar13

I look out the window
I feel so alone
Alone in my home
Alone in my community
Alone in bearing the burden
Of my pain and sorrow

I don’t have enough energy
To reach out
I long for contact and company
And for loving arms to hold me
And tell me things will be fine

….

Worse than pain and sorrow
Is the feeling of being alone
Because no matter what troubles you face
Everything is more bearable
When you have a friend
A true friend you can call on
A true friend who won’t judge

And the difference between sanity
And the feeling that your are about to lose it
Can be as simple as
The kind words of a friend
Their radiant smile
Their listening ear
Their time

The difference between
Helplessness and the willingness
To hang in there and try
Is the heartwarming thought
That there are those
You can call on
In moments of crisis
And that they will take the time
To let you unburden your soul
They will provide the balm
That will help you carry on

The Ultimate Friend is always there
But you also need the caress
The soothing words
The listening ear of a friend
One with whom you can be real
And share your intimate thoughts

If you are lucky to have such a friend
You notice that everything hurts less!

Lida Berghuis
March 11th, 2011

Nicki does not discriminate!

Mar4

Nicki does not discriminate
Old or young, boy or girl, friend or stranger
To him, it’’s all the same!
To him, what matters is the
Human factor!
He will talk to anyone
He will become engaged from the start
His enthusiasm and charm
Disarms whoever comes his way
He is accepted right away
He is admitted to the group
And pretty soon
He’’s at the centre
Giving ideas, listening with care
Making you smile
And blowing you away!

And all this he does
Without trying hard
He is almost oblivious
To his own charm
I overhear him talking
To Nat’’s friends
I have to smile
How did he join them?
What does he have to say
To seventeen year old girls?

I look over
And I see his face
So intense!
He is so present
He’’s all there!
He’’s engaged
A bottle of joy
A bottle of charm
Full of energy
Full of life
Who would not want
To be around
This essence of joy
This fountain of love?

Lida Berghuis
March 4th, 2011

The path off the path!

Mar2

So often we set out on a certain path
Plans in our head
Maps in our hands
We begin the journey
With stops in mind
With ideas of things to see
And the destination
We want

When I look at my life
After wondering for a long time
Which path to take
Making starts and stops
Taking certain roads
Then turning back
Sometimes confused
And choosing no path at all …

What I can see when I look back
Is that the major events of my life
Were planned for me
Were set before my eyes…
The path off the path!
Yes, I chose what I did
But it’s so clear that a hand
Was guiding me

Often, I would pray from the depths
Of my heart
Asking for guidance
From on high
I’m sure the guidance came
But not when I expected it
And in the form I thought!
This was a lesson
In forgetting me and I

So often I felt like
I should be in control
Or that I was!
I made plans
Chose a path
All to find …

That there were other
Plans laid out for me
Plans that were
Even better than mine!

Sometimes it was hard to see that
Right away
I complained
I carried on
Unhappy with the changes I had to face
Unhappy to change my plans at all

Now, looking back I see clearly
That I’ve been on a path
All along
Not the path I designed
But the best path of all

I just needed to open my eyes
And open my heart
To the blessings that
Came my way
And even the trials
The rough times
Were hidden gifts
From heavens above!

They have made me
Who I am
Somewhat stronger
Somewhat wiser
Somewhat more compassionate
And most important of all

I now know
That the key to peace of mind
Is to let go of the ego
The me and I
And surrender to the
Beauty of the Beloved!

Lida Berghuis
February 29th, 2011