Dreaming…

Jun13

If Canada were situated in the tropics
There would be no room to stand
The immigration waiting list would be a mile long
Not to mention all the visitors swarming our land

But wouldn’t it be lovely
To move this wonderful place
To warmer climes

The peace, the tranquility
The courtesy, the humility
The diversity and richness
The striving for excellence
All of this in a sunny spot
Where winter would not make
Many of us hibernate for months

Yes, I know
We can’t have it all
But I can dream, can’t I?

June 9th, 2014

The dance of life

Jun12

From the desert sun
To a rainy clime
To a land covered with snow
It seems like I’ve experienced it all

From the restrictions of tradition
To smelling freedom in the air
To being able to express my feelings and thoughts

From a shy girl in Shiraz
Too serious for her age
To gradually opening up
And making laugher a part of my life

From relative ease
To the violent storms of life
Interspersed with sun

From thinking to feeling
From science to art
From hesitation to creativity
From black and white to all the shades
In between in life
It’s been and eventful journey

Sometimes I still feel the insecure
18 year old in me
Many times the need to please
Still overtakes me

Have I changed and grown?
I have!
Have I stayed the same?
I have!

Have I been battered and bruised
I have!
Have I been showered with grace
I have!

And what do I see at this point
In my life
As I look back
As I look forward?

That life’s challenges will always be there
But the sun always comes out from
Behind the clouds

That being in control is an illusion
That change is a constant
That happiness is in appreciating the simple things in life
In helping others
In nurturing our talents
and in drinking deep the beauty of art

From the desert sun
To rain, to snow
I’ve experienced a lot
I’ve started over many times
I’ve laughed
I have cried

What the future brings
Remains to be seen
But I’ll try my best
To remain thankful and content
And greet each day with open arms

Lida Berghuis
June 10th, 2014

The human condition!

Jun8

 

image

Emotions all bottled up
Though the surface is serene
But there is sadness
That’s hiding deep within

The human condition
The human emotions
Can grip me in their clutches
Sometimes they squeeze and squeeze
And breathing becomes harder

At such moments
I feel like throwing away my heart
It’s the only way to stop the pain
The only route to respite

But sadness is part of life
Confusion is part of life
The only thing that brings us peace
Is reliance on God

That’s easier said than done
The ego does not want to let go
Of the illusion of control that it has
Cultivated over time

We tend to forget we’re not so powerful
A breeze can blow
And set us off course
And life can change dramatically
For better or worse

But perhaps worse is not so bad
If we learn the lessons we need to
And better is good
But it won’t last in this world!

The soul’s journey in this life
Full of ups and downs
A smooth road this won’t be
I’ve come to realize

There is a lot to be thankful for
This we should not forget
Our blessings we tend to ignore
If the ego has its way

Don’t have all the answers
My emotions at times rough me up

But I’ve learned that friends
Can be saviors during the trials of life

June 6th, 2014

My Shield

Jun2

Fragile,and art is my shield
It saves me in the battles of life
I still get bloodied and bruised
But have the strength to carry on

When the world and its mundane things
Its troubles and toils
Try to bring me down
I seek refuge in art

When the physical world becomes like a cage
Art is the hand that opens the door
My spirit can then roam in the ethereal world
It can be refreshed and renewed

Poetry, music, the beauty of art
Connect my soul to the spiritual world
Where joy abounds
Where it’s peaceful!

Miss Maya!

Jun1

Miss Maya
You are gone…
The caged bird is finally free
Your spirit can soar and circle around!
Come here, circle around me!

Give me your courage and optimism
Give me your passion to create
Let me be helpful to others
Let go of ego, let go of fear

Like you, I have cried many times
Like you, I have laughed a lot
I have walked in shadow, walked in the sun
I’ve been drenched in rain many times

My friends and loved ones
Have been my solace
The beauty of art has saved me!
The spirit world where my mind likes to roam
Has been a source of consolation to me!

Miss Maya
From wherever you are
Come around once in a while
Bring me inspiration, and good cheer
Miss Maya
You are still phenomenal!

My shadow!

May22

I have a shadow and her name is Shoosh
Shoosh goes wherever I go
She sits next to me on the chair when I read
She naps on my bed when I nap
I go up the stairs and Shoosh follows
I go back down and so does Shoosh

I’m still not used to being followed everywhere
I’m sure the kids would rather be in my place
But when I’m home Shoosh is by my side
When I leave they get her to themselves

Luckily Shoosh is a chill dog
She likes to relax, sleep or just lie down
Who knows what goes on in that head of hers
Who knows what she’s thinking when she stares

Soft places are her favorite
A blanket, a pile of clothes, a duvet!

And true to form, she’s here next to me
I’m sitting on the patio and so is she!

Collage

May7

Collage

Can’t pretend nothing happened
Can’t pretend it was easy
Can’t try to sweep it under the carpet
Can’t let it go without addressing it

And what was it this time?
Why again?
Why am I so fragile?

It was a marathon
A test of endurance
Putting one foot in front of the other
When pain, sorrow and anxiety
Was the order of the day

Everyone told me I would be fine
But in the meantime
I had to go through what seemed like
Unbearable times

I know I’m not the only one who suffers
I know I’m not unique
But I have to acknowledge what was
I have to come to terms with it
Understand it
Or at least be at peace with it

As I celebrate the return of light
I have to revisit the past
Arrange and rearrange the pieces
Until I’m satisfied
Until it’s ready to be a part of the collage of my life

‘Oriental’

May4

It touches me somewhere deep within
It reminds me of the sorrows I’ve experienced

It lets me know it’s OK to suffer, we all do
It comforts me
It wraps its arms around me and tells me things will be fine
It reveals the beauty of the human spirit
It reminds me of how fragile we are

*This poem was response to a beautiful piece of music
called ‘oriental’ by Entique Granados

The passage

Apr27

The sky rained tears of sorrow
The volcano spewed lava the colour of blood
The grief was unbearable
But I had not choice but to carry on

To carry on
Till life returned
To carry on
Till smiles came back
To carry on
Until laughter reigned
To carry on
Till a new journey began

And this passage
Through the corridor of pain
Was the most severe test

The support of friends
What I needed and what I got
To be able to stand the pain
And carry on

And now the horizon
Is clear and bright
The sun is here
Darkness is gone

Acting happy, feeling sad*

Apr13

A brilliant smile on my face
Only if I felt like that inside
Too hard to share my pain with others
I put on a happy front

Acting happy, feeling sad
Acting like everything is fine
What you see on the surface
Does not reflect what’s inside

Acting happy, feeling sad
Cannot share the turmoil within
Too much to explain
What would I say?
It’s easier just to smile

Acting happy, feeling sad
An actress in my own life
But the script was not written for me
I’m writing it as I go along

Acting happy, feeling sad
Feeling unauthentic and unreal
Tired of putting on a show
There is no joy in this smile!

Lida Berghuis

*This poem was written a while back when I felt down.
It can apply to other situations in which we hide
our true feelings from others.