Ambiguity

Jan22

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Is there a right answer?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no

There are many roads that lead to Rome

Should I be worried about taking the wrong path?

I used to

But now I know any road I take

I’ll manage to make it work

Or else I’ll chose another path

Are there precise answers?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no

What works for you won’t work for me

What’s perfect for you won’t suit me

Are there answers to all questions?

I don’t think so

Somethings will remain a mystery

I’ve come to terms with not knowing

I can live my life despite it

We need to manage our expectations

We need to come to terms with ambiguity

Some questions have many answers

Some questions have no answers

But questions will always be with us

And the need to know and understand 

January 22nd, 2021

A new beginning

Jan20

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Journal, journal in my lap

Tell me what this day will be like

Tell me what steps we’ll take toward peace and unity

A new chapter is ending and a new one beginning

There is more love and kindness in the air

A return to decency and trustworthiness

There is a sense of duty and a desire to serve

There is honesty and how vital that is

We all can breathe a sigh of relief

The breath we held for years can be exhaled

Today is a better day

My heart is gladdened

Let’s turn the page

January 20th, 2021

My reading chair

Jan9

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My reading chair

In my reading corner

In my bedroom

Next to the window

Where the sun pours in, in the mornings

My reading chair

A simple Ikea chair 

With a footstool

Usually covered with books

Where I do a lot of reading and writing

My reading chair

My oasis

My place of calm

Where I inhale the fragrance

Of other people’s thoughts and feelings

My reading chair 

For the last twenty years

And for years to come

Hopefully 

January 9th, 2021

Reflections

Jan1

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I just realized I’ve been posting poems on this blog for ten years. How the time flies. I’m grateful to have discovered the gift of writing at this point in my life. It centres me, it nourishes me, it helps me process my thoughts and feelings, and I hope my writings bring joy to those who read them. It is important for all of us to identify what we are passionate about and peruse that and if that passion is in a creative field, even better. The arts are expressions of our souls and as such they will touch the souls of others. I wish you a wonderful year and I hope you will pursue your passion as well.

January 1st, 2021

2021

Jan1

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Here are my wishes for the new year

I wish for peace in the hearts

I wish for love among men

I wish for justice, so rare these days

I wish for laughter to bring you joy

I wish for understanding that we are one

I wish by Saadi’s wish we would abide

I wish for being kind to nature

I wish for brotherhood among men

I wish we’ll think of others more than ourselves

I wish we take the necessary steps

To build communities that thrive

I wish we each do our share to change the world

And above all, I wish you contentment!

December 31st, 2020

Complain less

Dec27

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What do you do when you want to go out and there is nowhere to go?

The stores are closed

It’s cold outside

Can’t visit friends

Can’t write in a coffee shop

It feels a little like a prison to me

But it’s also far from a prison’s reality

I feel ashamed to complain

When others spent years in prison and did not complain

I’m complaining about a few days of lockdown

Although I’m still in touch with my friends around the world

Although I can leave the house if I want

Although I’m not being held against my will

So, in reality I have nothing to complain about

We are creatures that seek comfort and ease

We wish to have our way in things

Freedom to go where we want and do what we want is paramount

The emphasis is on me and I

We need to step back and look at the big picture

We need to think about what others need

We need to be of service to humanity

Comfort and ease will pass

What remains is the lessons we’ve learned

The service we’ve rendered

The souls we’ve touched

What remains after we leave this world

Is hopefully our vibrant spirit tried in the trials of life

And purified in the fire of adversity

These are the things I need to remind myself of again and again

Remember the example others have set

And at the very least, complain less

December 27th, 2020

*The prisoners referred to here are people who were in prison because of their Faith, members of the Baha’i community in Iran.

Success

Dec16

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Success is in achieving one’s goals

It’s not living our lives based on what is expected of us

Or what society dictates

The goals we set are meaningful to us

They are usually based on what our talents are

What’s important to us

What we’re passionate about

We don’t have similar goals

We are all different people with different aspirations

I set some goals for myself early in life

Some other goals evolved along the way

I’ve been working towards achieving them

My goals may be unconventional

Unusual and not the norm

But they are my goals

They bring me pleasure 

And give my life meaning

I’m learning to be content with my chosen path

December 16th, 2020

Uncertain times

Nov27

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An uncertain year lies ahead

When will we have the vaccines?

Who will get them first?

When will there be enough immunity?

When can we start visiting our friends?

When can musicians sing in front of crowds?

When will the news not be about COVID?

When will the children visit their grandparents?

When can we get together with our friends?

How long will we need to wear our masks?

How long do we need to stay two feet apart?

How long before some people can go back to work?

How long before a sense of normal?

No one has the exact answers to these questions

We have to get comfortable with the uncertainty

We have to do our best to keep our communities safe

Short term pleasure will cause long term pain

We have to act based on the guidelines in place

By cheating, we are cheating no one but ourselves

We have to look beyond what pleases us

We have to realize others’ health depends on us

We live in a ‘me’ society

It’s time to change it to a ‘we’ society

November 27th, 2020

Dark clouds

Nov23

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The cold and damp winds of fall are blowing

I feel the cold in my bones

The dark clouds are shedding tears of sorrow

The exuberance of summer is gone

The world seems unfair sometimes

Goodness is not returned with good

Enmity seems to have the upper hand

As a pandemic ravages the world

I still believe in goodness

I think the good will be victorious

Sometimes it doesn’t look like that

But there is more to our lives than what we see

Goodness resides in the heart

It will be with us forever

Goodness perfumes the world

And cheers other people’s hearts

Injustice is like a cold dark night

But this dark night will eventually give way to dawn

Injustice can’t take goodness away

Injustice is due to the absence of love

November 23rd, 2020

Dedicated to the Baha’is of Iran

Architects of change

Nov15

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Change happens slowly

Change takes time

Change usually happens after suffering

We don’t learn our lessons the easy way

You’d think that we would naturally learn

To behave in a correct way

In a compassionate way

In a just way

But that’s not the path we have chosen as a society

We’re heading full speed to the edge of the cliff

And no matter what warnings we get

We are too drunk with immediate pleasure

With power and with wealth, to heed them

They say you have to hit rock bottom 

Before you are ready for change

I wonder where the rock bottom is for the human race

There are many wonderful human beings

Caring people, generous people

But overall there is more darkness than light

More greed than beneficence

More hate than love

More disunity than unity

But in the end,  all we can do is play our part

Bring light into the darkness of the world

Bring joy to our friends and neighbours

There is no magic wand

It’s up to each of us to be the architects of change

Change will happen slowly

But what we do matters

We can make a difference 

November 13th, 2020