Archive | January 2019

At the mall

Jan28

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Sitting in the modern bazaar, the mall

Looking at all sorts of people walking by

A black guy with braided hair with his headphones on

A twenty something girl with purple hair

A guy with a very long beard

A girl looking at her phone as she walks

Sales signs everywhere to entice the shoppers

Chocolate boxes in the shape of hearts for the upcoming valentine

A man carrying a suit he just bought

Someone next to me talking on her phone about her flight

Someone walking with scarf, hat and mittens on

Maybe she just came inside

And me sitting comfortably on a bench with my notebook

Each person I see has their own story

The guy with the long beard may be grieving a loss

  1. The girl with purple hair may have just got some good news

The man carrying the suit may be going to a friend’s wedding

The person who is smiling may actually be sad inside

Friends talking

Maybe giving each other advice

Shiny new merchandise everywhere

Salespeople who are eager to sell

And in the middle of this material world

We are the carriers of our souls

Sensitive souls that need to be loved 

We each have our own story 

Some of it written, some unknown 

January 27th, 2019

Stay with me

Jan27

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Once my daughter was distraught 

Life seemed confusing

Questions were many

Joy was gone

And tears ran down her cheeks 

Like rain from the clouds

 

I wanted to help her

I asked her what I should do

She said sit next to me mom

Don’t leave me alone

 

I sat with her

We talked a little 

I tried to console her

But later she told me 

I left too soon

 

She said she needed me there

I asked her what for?

Just to be with me mom

So I wouldn’t feel alone

 

Loneliness is the worst thing

During hard times

 

26 January 2019

Black and brown

Jan25

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Natasha and I are sitting side by side

Talking about organizing the storage space in our house

Growing an indoor herb garden

And cleaning out parts of her room

 

She is very talkative and not on her phone

And we are chatting it up

But you wouldn’t want to see us now 

Or take our photograph

 

We are sitting side by side in the hair salon

With color on our hair 

She is going from brown to black

And I’m going from black to brown

The grass is always greener on the other side

January 24th, 2019

Ode to chocolate

Jan21

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Chocolate cures everything
A broken heart
A bad mark
A bad day
A nasty month

Chocolate melts in my mouth
And for a moment
My worries are gone
All that remains
Is the rich taste
The soft texture
The amazing smell

Chocolate makes everything better
A hectic day
Problems that come my way
Feelings of sorrow and confusion
Wondering about the solutions

It’s temporary, this feeling of relief
But it’s worth every calorie!
April 19, 2007

Heartache

Jan14

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I’m saddened and in pain

Heartache is visiting me again

 

She wants to stay for a while

But I’d rather that she’d not 

 

She came unannounced and

Took space in my heart

There is not enough breathing room for me

Discomfort is what I feel now

 

But a guest has arrived 

And I need to be polite 

I’ll have to accept the discomfort for now

She will leave in due time

 

13 January 2019

My wish to write

Jan9

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I wish to write I told someone in my youth

You haven’t lived enough he told me

You have to experience life

To have something to write about

The cup needs to be filled

Before it can quench someone’s thirst

 

I was disappointed 

Even distraught 

I wanted to write ‘now’

 

But he was proven to be right

I had not lived long enough

Not shed enough tears

Not questioned things I believed in

Not gone through confusion and doubt

Not fallen so hard that it was difficult to get up

 

The caged bird sings in captivity

It’s her release

It’s her cry of help

In the lonely confines of the cage

It’s what keeps her occupied

It’s what keeps her alive and brings her joy 

And others are moved by her song

 

January 2019

Broken dreams

Jan8

 

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Shards of broken glass

Showing us a violent outburst

            An angry response

            A desperate plea to be seen

Even though the mirror has been shattered 

Shards of broken glass

            A sad sight

            Beauty destroyed 

            Reflections stolen

            Light darkened

And we can’t put the pieces back together 

We can’t return to the past

The deed has been done

A scream let out

Broken dreams 

Lay among the shards of glass

 

January 4th, 2019

The struggle

Jan4

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This is a life of struggle

Struggle of good against evil

Right against wrong

Spiritual versus the material

Light versus darkness

And we will never be free of this struggle

We will never fully arrive

We will never fully conquer our ego

We will falter and fall

We will questions things we hold dear

We will fight external and internal demons

Storms will continue to assail us

Yes, there will be periods of respite

But the next storm is just around the corner

This is not a life of comfort and ease

No matter how materially successful we are

Tests will batter us like powerful waves

Hail will pelt our heads

This is how we grow

This is how we prove ourselves

This is how we show our steadfastness

But struggle we will

And struggle we must

January 3rd, 2019

Fidelity

Jan3

IMG_7689What is the secret of fidelity?

What makes a commitment endure?

How does one not get distracted from one’s path?

How does one not waver after a while?

Steadfastness is an ongoing struggle

The destination is always far away

And no matter where we are on the path

It will remain in the distance

Temptations and distractions abound along the way

One cannot always close one’s eyes to them

Vigilance is needed

Daily effort is needed

The goal is lofty

And the climb ongoing

 

December 31st, 2018