My friend is not perfect
Neither am I
So I wrote in my diary
When I was thirteen
There is a lot of truth to that even now
If we are to look at someone’s faults
It’s impossible to befriend them
If we overlook one another’s shortcomings
We can have many friends
Focus on their strengths
Pay attention to the gifts they have
To the joy they bring you
To their listening ear
Don’t expect perfection, ever
Because you will be disappointed
Time after time
July 14, 2025
We bomb you
You bomb us
We bomb you again with more bombs
You try to catch up with us
It looks like a silly childish game
With expensive explosives
And dire consequences
Is this how mature people solve problems?
Is death and destruction what brings us peace?
I read the news
It’s been three years
What do they think a few more years will do
Besides adding to the carnage of war?
We are ‘grown up’ people
Playing a most dangerous and devastating game
The real game of war
July 11, 2025
Plain water please
Hold back the bubbles for me
But it’s self service
I look at the bottles in the fridge
I can’t read the signs on the bottles
So I get the bubbly one by mistake
Do I tip the Taxi driver or not?
It’s nice but not necessary they say
How about the hotel maid?
I left some money but when we came back
It was still there
Restaurants are confusing too
I still don’t know what to do
They accept Mastercard everywhere
That makes it easy
But with cash you can keep better track of things
However who uses cash these days
Being in Italy is wonderful
But not knowing the language and customs is not
June 30th, 2025
I have been published!
Where you may ask
Let me explain
I have been published
Not once, but eight times
Look on Amazon
You will find my books
Publishing is no longer done the traditional way
Yes, that still exists
But now we have many more additional ways
You can be published on Instagram
You can be published on Facebook
You can be published on WhatsApp
And the list goes on
Will thousands read my posts?
Maybe not
Will I make money?
Not that much!
Artists are mostly poor in material things
But their heart is connected to a source
Where inspiration comes from
Their words and images are worth so much to those who appreciate them
I have been published
Many times over
My readers are few
You can’t find my books in a bookstore
But I’m happy to reach those that I do
Art is there to uplift our souls
And artists are happy to play their role
June 25, 2025
The dust has settled
The missiles have been silenced
People are going back to work
But is there peace?
Peace is not the absence of war
Peace is serenity in people’s hearts
Peace is justice in the land
Peace is love for your fellow man
I pray for the day when won’t need spies
I pray for the day when negotiations will solve the problems that arise
I pray for the day of equality
When demonstrators won’t have to die in the streets
Peace is not the absence of war
Peace is love in our hearts
June 25, 2025
I draw
I listen to the news about Iran in Persian
I cook
I listen to the news from Iran
These scenes were unimaginable ten years ago
Even five years ago
My contact with my Persian classmates
Has opened my world to news from them
And news from my land of birth
The news is heart breaking most of the time
Countries being bombed
People getting injured and dying
I hope that when the dust has settled
There will be freedom in Iran
There will be equality in Iran
There will be justice in Iran
I draw
I listen to the news about Iran
My heart is with the people of Iran
June 24, 2025
No internet?
No phone calls?
What is this?
1985?
When communication was at a turtle’s pace
When we wrote letters and waited
Waited for many days before we received an answer
And in between
Radio silence
Except for the occasional phone call
But now phones don’t work either
What are we supposed to do to communicate?
We live in the age of instant communication
Our lives are built around it
Deprivation is like tying one’s hands behind one’s back
This is unacceptable and unfair
Only fearful people would do that
Those who fear for their very existence
I hope these days will be over soon
And we’ll be in touch with each other as we used to be
June 20th, 2025
War in Iran
Death and destruction
Worry and consternation
No news from family
Friends in danger
These are dark days
And as much as I dislike this situation
I remain hopeful
That the sacrifices people are making
Will bear fruit
It’s hard to imagine now
But change happens suddenly
And without much notice
The Berlin Wall falls
The Soviet Union shatters
All in the blink of an eye
We pray for better days
For peace and prosperity
For justice and unity
There is a light at the end of the tunnel
No matter how dim
May these days of war
End as quickly as they started
June 22nd, 2025
War in Iran
People give me energy
I need to be out and about
A solitary life is not for me
I would wither, I would not be fine
My smile is usually returned with a smile
I was not happy when we were wearing masks
How were people supposed to see my smile?
How could I communicate with them without words?
Being with people is like walking in the sun
Everything is brighter
It’s easier to smile
I guess I’m a people person
And I always will be
It must be hard to believe
I was shy as a teen
March 11, 2024
When I feel something is not right
When I miss my smile
When things don’t seem exciting
When there is a yearning in my heart
I draw or I write
When I miss the sunshine
Because it’s been raining all day
When I need a pick me up
Any time of day
I draw or I write
When I draw or write
I’m in another world
My focus is on the paper
And the thoughts in my head
It’s a magical time
And when the poem is done
When the drawing is finished
I feel uplifted and I want to smile
What is this magic?
The act of creation?
Why does it cheer me up?
Isn’t creating beauty therapeutic after all?
I don’t know the answers to these questions
And that’s fine
All I know is that I will be writing and drawing
For the rest of my life
February 28th, 2024
lida's musings 