What is hidden

I write to make manifest what’s hidden 

by the dust of the daily chores of the day

I write to unveil the truth that is sometimes hidden from me 

I write as a relaxation for my soul

I write to refresh my mind and my body 

I write to create symmetry and beauty 

I write to compose the music of my soul

I write to honor my muse

I write because it’s a need within me 

15 August 2025

lost months

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

Imperfection is ok


My friend is not perfect

Neither am I

So I wrote in my diary

When I was thirteen

There is a lot of truth to that even now

If we are to look at someone’s faults

It’s impossible to befriend them

If we overlook one another’s shortcomings

We can have many friends

Focus on their strengths

Pay attention to the gifts they have

To the joy they bring you 

To their listening ear

Don’t expect perfection, ever

Because you will be disappointed

Time after time

July 14, 2025

A childish game

We bomb you 

You bomb us 

We bomb you again with more bombs

You try to catch up with us

It looks like a silly childish game

With expensive explosives

And dire consequences 

Is this how mature people solve problems?

Is death and destruction what brings us peace?

I read the news

It’s been three years

What do they think a few more years will do

Besides adding to the carnage of war? 

We are ‘grown up’ people 

Playing a most dangerous and devastating game 

The real game of war 

July 11, 2025

In a foreign land

Plain water please 

Hold back the bubbles for me

But it’s self service

I look at the bottles in the fridge 

I can’t read the signs on the bottles

So I get the bubbly one by mistake 

Do I tip the Taxi driver or not?

It’s nice but not necessary they say

How about the hotel maid? 

I left some money but when we came back

It was still there

Restaurants are confusing too

I still don’t know what to do 

They accept Mastercard everywhere 

That makes it easy

But with cash you can keep better track of things

However who uses cash these days 

Being in Italy is wonderful 

But not knowing the language and customs is not

June 30th, 2025

Published?

I have been published!

Where you may ask

Let me explain 

I have been published 

Not once, but eight times

Look on Amazon

You will find my books

Publishing is no longer done the traditional way

Yes, that still exists

But now we have many more additional ways

You can be published on Instagram 

You can be published on Facebook

You can be published on WhatsApp 

And the list goes on

Will thousands read my posts?

Maybe not

Will I make money?

Who needs money anyway

Artists are mostly poor in material things

But their heart is connected to a source

Where inspiration comes from

Their words and images are worth so much to those who appreciate them

I have been published

Many times over

My readers are few 

You can’t find my books in a bookstore 

But I’m happy to reach those that I do

Art is there to uplift our souls

And artists are happy to play their role

June 25, 2025

Is this peace?


The dust has settled

The missiles have been silenced

People are going back to work

But is there peace?

Peace is not the absence of war

Peace is serenity in people’s hearts

Peace is justice in the land 

Peace is love for your fellow man

I pray for the day when won’t need spies

I pray for the day when negotiations will solve the problems that arise

I pray for the day of equality

When demonstrators won’t have to die in the streets

Peace is not the absence of war

Peace is love in our hearts 

June 25, 2025

News from Iran

I draw

I listen to the news about Iran in Persian

I cook

I listen to the news from Iran

These scenes were unimaginable ten years ago

Even five years ago

My contact with my Persian classmates 

Has opened my world to news from them

And news from my land of birth

The news is heart breaking most of the time 

Countries being bombed

People getting injured and dying 

I hope that when the dust has settled

There will be freedom in Iran

There will be equality in Iran

There will be justice in Iran

I draw

I listen to the news about Iran

My heart is with the people of Iran

June 24, 2025

No internet

No internet?
No phone calls?
What is this?
1985?
When communication was at a turtle’s pace
When we wrote letters and waited
Waited for many days before we received an answer
And in between
Radio silence
Except for the occasional phone call
But now phones don’t work either
What are we supposed to do to communicate?
We live in the age of instant communication
Our lives are built around it
Deprivation is like tying one’s hands behind one’s back
This is unacceptable and unfair
Only fearful people would do that
Those who fear for their very existence
I hope these days will be over soon
And we’ll be in touch with each other as we used to be

June 20th, 2025

War in Iran

Destruction

 

Death and destruction 

Worry and consternation

No news from family

Friends in danger

These are dark days

And as much as I dislike this situation

I remain hopeful

That the sacrifices people are making

Will bear fruit

It’s hard to imagine now

But change happens suddenly

And without much notice

The Berlin Wall falls

The Soviet Union shatters 

All in the blink of an eye

We pray for better days

For peace and prosperity 

For justice and unity

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

No matter how dim

May these days of war 

End as quickly as they started 

June 22nd, 2025

War in Iran