The maze of love!

Apr24

The Rubix Cube
The most intricate jigsaw puzzle
The most challenging maze
All of these cannot compare
With the puzzle of love!

The puzzle of love
A living maze
It changes and expands
When least expected
Twists are added
At whim it seems
While it was complicated
To begin with

The rubix cube
With a thousand hues
The jugsaw puzzle
The end result of which
Is not known
The puzzle of love
Not for the faint of heart
Not for those who are not
Willing to get lost
In the desert of love

The puzzle of love
A test for the most patient heart
The puzzle of love
Brings tears to the eyes of the most
Reserved one

The puzzle of love
About which stories are told
And poems are written
From the time of old

I was never fascinated
With the Rubix Cube
Or intricate jigsaw puzzles
Of many hues

But I am fascinated with
The puzzle of love
The living maze
The ultimate challenge
Of the heart

Lida Berghuis
April 13th, 2004

I choose love!

Apr24

When I choose love
I know there will be pain involved
So, do I let go of love
And live a life that is safe?
I think not!

I choose love
And I will take the pain
Because a life without love
Is even more insane

Without love
Life is colourless
Without love
Life is not worthwhile
Without love
Life has no purpose
Without love
Why should I be alive?

And yes, sometimes
When I choose love
Life becomes as clear as mud
Confusion reigns
And emotions fly
But in the end
It’s all worthwhile
Because without love
Life is colourless
And dark

So, colour me beautiful
Colour me joyful
Let love inspire me
Let love be my cause
And if I suffer
If I feel pain
It will all have been worthwhile!

February 27th, 2006
Inspired in part by Khadijeh’s lament
Smith and Dragoman

Pure light

Apr23

When your eyes fall on beauty
Your soul is cheered
When your ears hear a divine melody
Your spirit rejoices

Surround yourself with beauty
To live joyfully
Surround yourself
With purity
To live peacefully

And what you are looking for
Are radiant souls
Those who inspire you
Those whose faces glow

And what you put your energy in
Must be positive things
Projects to help others
Projects to heal

But never forget
To nurture yourself
Otherwise there is little you can do
For those you hold dear

Be thankful  for all
That has come your way
Even for the troubles
And the cares

For as you pass through
The valley of doubt
As you struggle to get up each time
You learn valuable lessons in life
Without them you could not learn to fly

Lida Berghuis
September 1st, 2008
Eliane’s advice to me!

At the passport office

Apr23

At the passport office
Colour abounds
Black, brown, and blond, coloured or not!
Curly black hair, with a hint of copper
Braded hair the colour of midnight
Blond hair of various shades
Brown hair, and even bright red!

Some have come in jeans
Some in a fancy dress
A few are wearing shorts
Someone is wearing a suit!

I see a pregnant lady
A baby too
With beautiful black curls
Carefully coiffed

We are all waiting for our chance
To travel beyond the borders of Canada
Into the world
Back home
Or somewhere new

As I look at all the faces
I see the world
Assembled in this waiting room
And I hope the time will come soon
When this diversity will be celebrated
And we will all feel like brothers and sisters
Not just countrymen
Who tolerate each other because they are told to!

Lida Berghuis
June 12th, 2006

Butterfly poem #235!

Apr23

Not long ago
I explored this thought
Who am I?
Who have I become?
Because we start out as caterpillars
And it takes a while
To become a butterfly

The process is long
And painful most times
But the results make it worthwhile
The cocoon is suffocating and oppressive
But those conditions are necessary
For the emergence of the butterfly

And once in the cocoon
We can’t give up
We can’t look back
There is no way but forward
There is no turning back

We tread the path of patience
And steadfastness
And we persevere
And sometimes we burn in the fire of trials
The process of transformation
Is never easy
Always hard

But with a smile on our faces
And with love in our hearts
We concur each obstacle
We survive

The result is a beautiful butterfly
Free to fly
Free to roam the sky
Free to visit flowers from dawn to dusk

Lida Berghuis
March 28th, 2006

It can’t be forced!

Apr22

It’s either there or not!
It can’t be forced
When I write

The poem starts with a thought
I don’t know where it will go when I start

Gradually the poem reveals itself
There is no exact plan, no outline

And after Îm done, it’s truly done
It starts and finishes as I write

Sometimes my thoughts
Taken an interesting twist
Sometimes they surprise me!

My favorite is the poem that seems effortless
It’s there, I don’t need to force it

The rhymes appear one after one
The ideas flow like a river in the sun

Then it’s such a pleasure to write
It’s the best feeling of all!

And after that if a friends reads it
It’s icing on the cake for me

I write because I have to, it’s a need
But how wonderful if others read it

The circle of creation goes round and round
What I have created is re-created in another’s mind

They see things that I don’t see
After all, different lives we have lived   That’s the beauty of a work of art

It evokes emotions, different ones!

Lida Berghuis
April 15th, 2010

Solitude and Company

Apr22

Solitude to think and write
Company to share and laugh out loud!

Solitude
The blessed morn
The world sleeps
It’s just me and my thoughts

Company
Sharing, laughing, hugging, crying
Without it dying

Solitude
Feeds the soul
I hear myself think
I can ask questions
Look for answers

Company
My joy in life
Gives me energy
Each and every time

Solitude
Necessary for my sanity
And peace within

Company
Essential in life
Social beings we are

Solitude
I crave you from time to time

Company
I need you to feel all right!

Lida Berghuis
April 10th, 2010

Welcome to my poetry blog!

Apr22

Hello everyone! A dear friend of mine suggested I start a poetry blog, and since I love to write and have a stash of poems that I have written in the past seven years, I decided to do so.

It may be interesting to note that I did not write poetry until 7 or 8 years ago. I’ve always appreciated poetry, but it wasn’t until I started reading the translated poetry of Rumi and Tahirih that I even considered writing poems. I didn’t think it was my strength or that I would be any good. I love to write, but keeping journals had been my hobby up to this point. Nevertheless, when I wrote the first poem, it was as if a flood- gate had been opened. They kept coming and coming and there was no stopping them. A few supportive friends encouraged me to keep writing. Insecure and unsure, I continued to write. I couldn’t have stopped anyway, but their encouragement meant a lot to me. Over the last seven years, I’ve written poems in my notebooks, on the computer, while at coffee shops, when traveling, etc. etc. I’m very happy to share some of my favorite poems with you in this blog. I’m glad that you have joined me on this journey. Your feedback will be very helpful for me, so please don’t hesitate to comment.

Until next time,

Lida