Archives

A village

Nov27

The statistic’s page in my poetry blog shows me how many people are reading my blog every day
Then there is a world map
And and I can see which countries the readers live in
It’s so inspiring
It’s truly amazing
That people in Vietnam and Columbia
Singapore and Indonesia and Bahrein
Read what I write
I look at that world map
And realize how connected we are
How easy it is to communicate with a global audience
We have come such a long way
From the times that we needed to read books to find out what was happening
In the other parts of the world
Or travel
Now, the world is at our fingertips
It has become a village
And we are its inhabitants

Nov 27, 2025

A reminder

Nov24

My nose starts running for no reason

I don’t have a cold

I don’t have allergies 

Then I remember I take cancer medication

Medicine to prevent a relapse

And this medicine has few side effects

One of which is a runny nose

But I try to be thankful for taking this pill

Otherwise the cancer may return

I have to live with the reminders of the cancer I had and the uncertainty of it coming back

The scars of cancer are on my body

My chest doesn’t look the same 

My nose drips and I am reminded that I had cancer a while back

Nov 24, 2025

My phone and I

Oct16

Albert says I’m on my phone too much

First, I protest

Then I think a little and I realize

The reasons why I’m my phone so much

My phones is my means of communication with my friend around the world 

From Iran to Switzerland to Sweden and such

I do my banking on my phone 

My grocery list 

My dictionary and thesaurus is on my phone 

My entertainment 

My camera and my photos are on my phone 

I write my poems and

I read the news on my phone 

I research things 

I listen to podcasts 

And I do committee work on my phone

So, that’s why I’m often on my phone 

Albert protests and says

Your time with me can’t be on your phone

October 16th, 2025

Lessons learned from cancer

Oct16

Cancer has reminded me of how fragile I am 

Cancer has led me through the valley of confusion and disappointment 

Cancer has made my mortality more real

But going through cancer treatment has showed me I can overcome adversity 

with the support of family and friends 

It has showed me how much I am loved

Cancer has taught me to be grateful for each day and to not take my health for granted 

With every difficult experience comes gifts of great value

Yes, the path is rocky and there are unexpected surprises

There are many what ifs and whys

But I try to focus on the positive and learn the lessons of life

October 13, 2025

separate pods

Sep29

Imagine four people in a home

Each in a different room

Not allowed to visit each other

Having nobody to support them when they experience difficulties 

Or celebrate good times 

Now imagine families in different houses 

In the same condition

Not allowed to interact with and console each other when going through tough times

Unable to extend a hand in assistance 

Unable to invite each other to have a cup of tea

Unable to visit each other in the hospital

We are social beings 

We thrive on interaction with each other

We solve problems together

We lean on each other when we need help

There was a time when we had to live in separate pods

To that add the fear of getting sick

The reluctance of getting close to others

And news of illnesses and even death

No wonder mental health issues increased

No wonder loneliness spread

Let’s hope we don’t have to go through  this another time

September 23rd, 2025

Humility is needed

Sep29

The woman who is sitting across you

Full of confidence 

At the top of her game 

May have had very difficult experiences 

She may have been seriously ill

Lost hope and almost lost faith

Challenges in life can do that to us

The woman who is smiling all the time

Fresh as sunshine 

Has scars of her own 

And difficulties she cannot share in a casual conversation

It seems it’s better to assume that 

Everyone has been hurt

Everyone has suffered 

Whether we know it or not 

We need to be gentle with each other

Supportive of one another

And when the time arrives

Hold that someone’s hand

Listen to their story

And give them the opportunity to be heard 

September 29th, 2025

Hidden emotions

Sep29

The woman who is sitting across you

Full of confidence 

At the top of her game 

May have had very difficult experiences 

She may have been seriously ill

Lost hope and almost lost faith

Challenges in life can do that to us

The woman who is smiling all the time

Fresh as sunshine 

Has scars of her own 

And difficulties she cannot share in a casual conversation

It seems it’s better to assume that 

Everyone has been hurt

Everyone has suffered 

Whether we know it or not 

We need to be gentle with each other

Supportive of one another

And when the time arrives

Hold that someone’s hand

Listen to their story

And give them the opportunity to be heard 

September 29th, 2025

sometimes

Sep22

Once in a while 

I need a day or even half day

When I can forget my to-do list

And do instead things that energize me

Drawing, writing, hanging out at a coffee shop

And even though these seem like solitary activities

From time to time I need to be alone with my own thoughts 

Talk to myself 

Create by myself 

Sometimes we need solitude

To recharge our batteries and relax

Make no mistake 

I love being with people especially my friends 

But occasionally

I need a day 

Like today

Which is very low stress 

And full of nourishment for my soul 

September 22, 2025

Mind boggling

Sep5

You can have one trillion dollars for your services, they said to Ilon

How much is one trillion dollars and where do you keep this amount of money?

In a bank of course 

So the bank is getting richer not Ilon

After a few billion dollars, what does one do with money?

If he gives some to charity which he should, ok that’s something

But after he dies these billions of dollars are left for his children to fight over

He can’t bring any of it with him

Is it a power trip?

Perhaps! 

Is it greed?

It could be

So he can buy ten more islands but

He can’t be in all of them at the same time 

Really, it’s mind boggling 

Why people need to and earn so much 

Not to mention the  poverty and famine going on in the world 

September 5th, 2025

lost months

Aug12

I lost June and July

Need to benefit from August 

I knew exactly what she meant

Because months spent struggling with depression or other mental health issues

Are like months we lose

We do the minimum possible 

We struggle a Lot

We don’t enjoy life 

Creativity drops

Projects come to a stand still

And new ones never start

Lost months 

I wonder if they are totally lost 

Or if they make us aware of what we’ve got

Once the depression lifts

Life is brighter

Our laughter is more genuine

Projects can start

And we have a new lease on life

All of this doesn’t mean though that I appreciate the depressed times

August 11, 2025