Ice age

Jan26

Our frozen world
Frozen from the lack of the sunshine of love
Frozen from the long nights of ignorance and prejudice

Icy cold is the world we live in
Hearts frosted over by greed
Cold from the scarcity of compassion and absence of brotherhood
Icy cold…
We shiver witnessing injustice and brutality
We long for the warmth of harmony and unity
Desolate, divided and ravaged
Is the world we live in

This ice age will not last forever though
It may be holding us in its grasp now
But spring is around the corner
Sunshine is around the bend
Warmth is nearby
The heat of the sun
Will melt this ice

And each of us can create some heat
Some warmth
By our loving words and deeds
By extending a helping hand to others
By caring for our fellow man

The flame within

Dec12

What is it that ignites your passion?
What is it that makes your heart sing?
What is it that brightens your day?
What is it that awakens your senses?

We start searching for our passion
When we are young
Sometimes we recognize it right away
Sometimes we find it but we forget
Sometimes we don’t pay it enough attention

But this discovery is important
Without discovering one’s passion
There is no joy
No motivation
No ziel and enthusiasm
No direction

Without discovering one’s passion
We’ll live ordinary lives
We’ll mark time
We’ll go through the motions of life

But as soon as we discover
What ignites that fire within us
The world begins to sing
The colors seem brighter and
One’s energy expands

It’s then that we can create beauty
Promote harmony
Make new discoveries
Develop our gifts
And serve our fellow man

That little flame is so powerful
It can start wild fires

December 11th, 2016

Kindness

Dec10

His kind words made me cry today
Kind words can do that you know

His kind words made me feel accepted and loved
I felt like I belonged
His kind words tore the veil of silence
And let in the light

Sometimes silence means complicity
Sometimes silence means we don’t want to go there
Things that are difficult to talk about
Remain behind the veil of silence

It takes courage to be kind
In a world that sometimes does not value kindness
At times, kindness is seen as weakness
What an absurd thought, I say

Kindness is like a river to the thirsty one
It’s life giving like sunshine
It’s like music that uplifts the soul
What more could one want?

One drop of kindness sweetens the ocean
Said the sage
This is the power of kindness

Kindness touched my heart today
A river of tears began to flow
Why tears as a response to kindness
I don’t know
I don’t know

December 1st, 2016

Good writing

Dec2

Good writing takes you to another world
You no longer hear
What’s going on around you
Or who comes and goes

Good writing can hold your heart
In its hands
Your emotions are held hostage
For a while

Good writing is hard to put down
Just one more line
Just one more line
Your heart cries

Good writing leaves its mark on you
Your world is not the same anymore

Good writing comes from
A place of vulnerability
The writer bears her/his soul

Good writing captivates you
And doesn’t let you go
Perhaps it highjacks your soul

Good writing
I’m in its snare
And will be for evermore

December 1st, 2016

Naked

Nov28

img_0343It’s winter
The trees have lost their leaves
Their branches stand naked
Nothing protects them from the glances
That are cast upon them

The nests built in the shadow of their leaves
In spring
Stand exposed

There is something sad about
The absence of the lush leaves
That decorate their branches

In the summer time
But there is beauty
In their new found transparency

Their branches are extended
With self confidence
Nothing weighs them down
At this point
They feel lighter
Even though they are exposed
No secrets
No hidden agenda

They are vulnerable though
Ice will cover their branches during
Freezing rain
Weigh them down and break them
They will feel the sharp jabs
Of hailstones more acutely
But there is always a price to pay
When baring one’s soul

November 25th, 2016

photo credit:  Masoud Atrvash

Stones

Nov28

 

img_0341

We live more isolated
More orderly lives
Various things separating us
From one another

Bigger homes
Longer distances to work
Less time for family and friends
Valuing independence
Fear of rejection
Old wounds of the past

The distances created between us
Make our communities feel colder
More organized perhaps
Less chaotic
But Loneliness is rampant

Instead of talking to friends
We call hot-lines designed
To help us cope

When we need help
We are weary of asking our
Neighbour for a hand

When we stand in line
We look down at our phones
Instead of at each other

Separation is cold, lonely and lifeless

Being more connected may be
More chaotic
Louder
Less comfortable at times

But it’s colourful
More lively
More cozy
More kind

And a helping hand is always nearby
November 28th, 2016

 

Collage of me 2

Nov21

We search for our identities
Especially when we are transplants in society
We try to find out how we fit into the world
To what cultural group we belong
What values we espouse
And how other people see us

What if such a rigid identity is not to be found
We are all born with intrinsic personalities and abilities
After that, our experiences, our education
And our efforts make us who we are

Our ‘self’ is fluid
It changes as we learn and grow
Our experiences shape us
And this will continue all our lives

I find this liberating
Because now I don’t have to find out
Where I fit in, to which group I belong
Who accepts me and who does not

I am unique
As everyone else is
I am who I am because of the places
I have lived
The languages I’ve learned
The books I’ve read
The people I’ve met and befriended
Where I was born factors into this too
It’s one of the many things that makes me me!

I am Eastern
I am Western
I am Persian
I am Canadian
I value art and poetry
I value friends and family
I value honesty, compassion and equality

I’m an adventurer
I am a rebel of sorts
I am curious
I want to learn
I live and write in English
More than in my mother tongue
But there is no discrepancy in all this
They all make up the collage of me

November 11th, 2016

The artist

Nov20

pink flowers 2

The artist
A sensitive soul
Who feels so deeply that
Overcome with emotion
There is no place for her to turn
Expect to her art
To release the emotions
That have gripped her heart

The artist
Someone who translates her pain
Into a beautiful tableau for all to see

The artist
The vessel that allows
Herself to be used
To carry the message of
Beauty and hope
Sadness and disappointment
Wisdom and joy

The artist
Humbled by the gift
She has received
Dedicated to telling the stories
That need to be told

The artist’s work
Essential for the health of the soul
Essential for taking the edge off
The realities of living in this world

November 2016

Laugh out loud

Nov4

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Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud
I know there are times when we cry
When we’re sad
When the world weighs heavy on us
But when you can
Please laugh out loud

Let your laughter ring
Through the room
Let it bring joy to everyone

The days of women being
Demure is done
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

Tears are special
When they fall
They wash the sadness
From our hearts

But when life affords you
The opportunity to laugh
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

You need to be heard
You need to shine
You need to celebrate life
No more silent or quiet laughter
Laugh out loud my friend
Laugh out loud

November 4th, 2016

Ephemeral

Oct16

I try to capture the beauty of nature
Because it’s ephemeral
It will be gone soon

I have to keep a record of it
Share it with my friends
And savour the beauty until it lasts

Joy is similar
It comes with gifts and cheers us up
But I know this feeling is temporary
It’s inevitably followed by sadness or
Contemplation of the serious issues facing us

Sadness is similar
It doesn’t last
But somehow during the sad times
It’s no consolation to know that it will pass
The pain is real, the sorrow is real
And that is my reality then

I try to console myself and remind myself
This too shall pass
Yet, the shadow that the sorrow has cast
Remains, and I have to deal with it

We wouldn’t call it sadness if we were able to
Transform it into joy with our thoughts
Yet there are people who deal with difficult
Situations better
And that deserves admiration and respect

Theses are people I look up to
From them, I try to learn
The secret of remaining thankful
During difficult times

Such people have a different understanding of life
Their vision sees into the future
They don’t equate discomfort and challenges
With sorrow and pain
They find a way through the pain

Their circumstances don’t change
But their perception of the situation
Allows them to rise above it
See it in a different way
See the end in the beginning
And the beginning in the end

October 15th, 2016