Upstream

Jun11

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Going against the current is not easy

But when was anything worthwhile attained easily?

 

When the vision is there

The desire is there

The strength is developed

With persistence and patience

We reach our goals

 

We are not meant to have easy lives

We are meant to have meaningful lives

Purposeful lives

 

Fewer people have the foresight and the determination

To swim against the current

There may be those

Who can’t understand those who swim upriver

They may even make fun of them or feel sorry for them

 

But the end of a difficult journey

And reaching one’s goal is very satisfying

And it usually means the beginning of another adventure

 

June 10th, 2020

My cocoon

Jun7

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I feel like I’m in a cocoon

It’s very dark in here

There is discomfort and pain

 

I feel like I’m in a cocoon

Can’t see what’s outside

Can’t see the future

I know I can’t stay here for ever

But how long do I need to wait?

 

Feeling a little claustrophobic

My world is so small

Will it ever change?

 

I’ve heard stories about a beautiful world out there

Full of life and colour

Full of bird song and meandering rivers

Is that just a story?

Will I ever get there?

 

I want to believe the stories of transformation

I want to believe that this small abode

This dark place of limitations and sorrow

Will one day give way to a marvellous world

 

June 7th, 2020

Black is beautiful

Jun6

 

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The colour of your skin is beautiful

It’s a velvety midnight black

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

It shines like the ebony keys on the piano

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

It’s the colour of the pupil of the eye

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

Sometimes it’s a lovely chocolaty brown

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

But real beauty is in your eyes and in your heart

 

June 6th, 2020

Less than

Jun3

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The first time I realized I was black was long ago

Someone had to point that out to me

To tell me that I was different from them

To tell me that I was less than them

 

And at that moment

My whole world changed

I saw the divide

I realized that  the colour of my skin

Has put me in a different class

A class that is less than

 

Can you imagine how I felt?

Can you imagine the confusion and the pain?

Can you imagine me realizing

That I would be treated based on the colour of my skin?

 

And the sad thing is it doesn’t have to be this way

The superiority of one race over another is taught

It’s taught by family and friends

It doesn’t have to be this way

 

June 3rd, 2020

Women of our times

May29

 

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In response to a recent honor killing:
Women have been under the control of men for a long time

Their lives restricted

Their choices restricted

Their whereabouts restricted

 

Sometimes men have gone too far

In exerting their authority over the women of their lives

Lives have been lost

Families put into mourning

Societies horrified

 

Sometimes these actions have gone unpunished

Encouraging others to do similar things

 

But times have changed

Today we recognize that women need not be

Controlled, guided or protected by men

 

Today, women have the same roles in society that men do

Their education is the same

Their responsibilities are the same 

And so should be their rights

 

Laws have been tilted in favour of men for a long time

That no longer makes sense

A community that is not just cannot thrive

 

May 29th, 2020

As life slows down

May27

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As life slows down

We get a chance to look around us more carefully  

No longer rushing about 

We can linger and ponder

 

Longing for connection 

We find new ways of reaching out

Technology is crucial in our lives

 

People passing away

Makes us reassess our priorities 

We look at our lives and think what makes us happy

 

No longer having easy access to material things

We wonder how much we actually need

 

When life is simpler

And there is more time for contemplation

We can rearrange our lives

 

May 27th, 2020

Extraordinary times

May6

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Sometimes you think you know the scale of a problem

That you can see the beginning, the middle and the end

And then you realize you had been too optimistic and underestimated  the problem

What were to be temporary changes will  last much longer

 

You realize that this problem is larger than life

That it has caused changes we could have never imagined

That we’re in this for the long haul

This is not a problem that can be wished away
Scores of scientists are doing their best

To find a solution to something they’ve never seen

But this work can’t be done quickly

 

The economy is in terrible shape

The stock markets have plummeted 

Unemployment is where it has never been

Schools are closed and so are businesses

And these are problems that are worldwide

Almost no country has remained unaffected

 

These are extraordinary times

The welfare of people should come first

The economy and the markets can’t be the priority

It’s time for compassion and care

 

May 6th, 2020

 

Insight?

Apr30

 

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I wonder what we will think

When we look back at these unusual times

Days of physical isolation

Limited travel

Closed schools

Working from home

Unanswered questions

Worries and fears

 

What will we take away from this experience?

Will we be wiser?

More compassionate?

Will we be less materialistic?

Will we be more thankful for all that we have?

Will we have made new friends and connections?

Will our priorities have changed?

 

When the ground is plowed

The harvest is bountiful

The longer the stew simmers

The more delicious it is

 

Difficulties need to be followed by insight

Otherwise suffering is wasted time

 

April 30th, 2020

Mask?

Apr24

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To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

First they said, don’t wear a mask 

We need them for the health care workers

That made sense

Then they said why don’t you make home made masks?

“Not all of us can sew!”

They said use a bandana

“That would look wired”

They said you can buy one on line

“That I can!”

 

The masks arrived after a few days

They looked cute

But for some reason I didn’t want to wear them

 

My smile tells people I’m friendly

My smile communicates warmth and love

My smile can brighten someone’s day

My smile makes me feel good inside

 

How am I supposed to let people know I’m smiling at them

If my mouth is covered with a mask?

I could paint a smile on my mask

But that would look awfully creepy

 

Some people wear masks

Others don’t 

If everyone did, it would be easier

So, I continue to wonder

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

 

April 24th, 2020

Our times

Apr19

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We used to write our e-mails on paper

Then put them in a mailbox

And wait for someone to pick them up

They would then be brought to a sorting place

Put in a car or on a plane 

And delivered to another sorting place

Finally, after many days, a mailman would deliver 

These messages to the recipient’s home

 

Now, imagine waiting for a reply!

 

These days we write hundreds of what were called

Letters in those days in one day

And they are delivered in less than a second

No matter how far or near the destination

There are more advanced systems like

Facebook and WhatsApp or Instagram and Zoom

You can speak your message

Or deliver it in a video

You can video chat from anywhere in the world

You can have meetings thanks to Zoom

 

Soon, letters we’ve kept from years past

Will become as valuable as antiques

People will look at them with astonishment

And wonder how we communicated in such slow speeds

 

How times have changed

And how they will keep changing

We should not take what we have for granted

What I just wrote will be read by my friends across the world soon

No mailman, post office or plane needed

 

April 19th, 2020