Wake & Live

Blog 341:

Wake … rise … and wait
Wait for an act of kindness
Kindness of matchless value
Value that rarest of hearts could bestow
Bestow attention and required subsistence
Subsistence of water, food and love
Love for God’s creatures, great and small
Small acts of kindness … for instance, play
Play for strength, for fun, for contentedness
Contentedness ever-filling hearts
Hearts alive and well, every day you and I wake!

Day Is Yours ...

Blog 340:

“Rise!  Rise up,” great Sun from the east invites
It splashes its rays and says, “Day begins … it’s yours to seize!”
 
Still … I lie in bed and pull covers to my face
Reminiscing on the quiet moments of early morn

“What’s there to seize this day?” I whisper
But just for the sake of giving it a thought
I run down my possibilities and ponder which path to take

“Maybe that craft project I’ve pushed aside moons ago?
How about sorting books I considered last summer?
That bio-pic write up of sort seems worthwhile …
Or tinker on ‘things’ aspiring tutors could use?”

Still … I lie in bed half awake and now somewhat conscious
Supposing, imagining, and reflecting on something else to claim

“Have a laidback day and curl up to a book?
Perhaps indulge in a smoothie and splurge on a bath soak?
How about a funny movie that surely could bring laughter?
Weed the flower garden maybe or do nothing at all?”
“Rise,” the sun from the east invites once more
“Day begins afresh and it’s yours to conquer!”

“Is this day really all for my taking?” I lazily ask great Sun
But a distinct answer or a slight hint, it did not share
Instead it left me alone to willingly choose my path
As it did the day before and days after each waking time

Friendly Visit

Blog 339:

My heart expresses a pitter-patter
At return-sighting of one rare critter
Unaware and carefree it is out at play
Up a huge oak tree lit by the sun’s ray
 
It climbs up, up and away in a distance
Then it wraps around the tree trunk and runs
It behaves as if it knew I was in great amazement
At the chance-reunion and delightful wonderment

My heart does sing of all simple gifts
It commends the absence of mundane rifts
The sweet intrusion of one unusual creature
Eases affliction and commonplace torture  

'Care about something?

Blog 338:

What do you care about?
… others’ opinions
… unblemished reputation
… approval of action
… wholesome impressions

What do I care about?
… perfection in task processing
… days well-spent
… appreciation for creative input
… decency, respectability, independence

And your Lord, what about does S/HE care?
… moral influence
… living up to one’s potentials
… justice, mercy, kindness
… life lived in love

You heard answers to questions of life
Now choose and act
… Love your God
… Love yourself
… Bring out the cares of the Lord you love!

Live!

Blog 337:

Living life is larger than life itself
It isn’t meant to spotlight on cruel events
It isn’t meant to focus on ruthless relationships
No … life isn’t meant to center on baseless trials
Living life is facing all the music it makes
It couldn’t be about one crisis management after another
 
Life is work itself
It is what you make of it fired by resilience
Life is a celebration
It is rejoicing over small steps taken toward achievements
Life is laughter
It is an invited response to crazy and strange incidents
Life is a cyclical timepiece
It is looking back, dealing with now and what’s yet to come
Life is a memory box
It is remembering the good and bad that molds one’s spirit
Life is just what it is …
Living the breathing gift it brings!

little & BIG

Blog 336:

For BIG things to get done
All ‘little’ ones must first be completed …
A delicious dish requires exact prepping of ingredients
A good running car needs oil, gas, and excellent tuning
A beautiful dress involves perfect measure and sewing
A decent house obliges ceiling to floor, and in-between tidying
A perfect-looking lawn demands mowing and trimming

Many BIG things in life do not just happen
All ‘little’ events compel attention and patience …
A baby must learn to crawl and sit before it could stand
A toddler requires supervision as it learns to walk and be curious
A teen expects a mix of guidance and risk-taking independence
A young adult must understand love before diving into marriage
A mature adult leaves open for others the many roads to take

Without the little thoughts and paths
BIG could not be attained or fulfilled
BIG and little things complement each other
Complex as they are, things little and BIG are so designed!

Like-Want-Need

Blog 335:

Like something … anything …
How much can anyone just like something?
Want something … anything …
Want is a different thing
Anyone who wants first likes whatever thing

There’s an underlying craving for something liked then wanted
A like and a want for something is whimsy
A thing liked, then wanted turns into something stranger
Much stranger than first liking and then wanting
Something liked and wanted transforms to a fabricated need
Need?  When does one thing become a need?

Something that’s not physically and emotionally there is a need
It is something required to sustain life
Clean drinking water is a need
Same could be said for shelter
Clothing ... footwear  that protect the naked body are needs
Nothing beats need
Anyone can like or want anything and something non-essential
But need …
Need must be provided … fulfilled!

?!Work!?

Blog 334:

Work is ever present

It doesn't pause  
It never stops
It lurks anywhere it finds a spot

Work is down in one's veins

It is in the heart
It is in the brain
It is everywhere in the body machine

Work is in many places humans occupy

It is inside or outside the confines of a home
It is in various workplace locations
It is where creative hands and mind intertwine

 

Work brings all kinds of bad and good

It tires one’s being when there’s too much
It is disconcerting when there’s too little
It is fact that work makes living worthwhile

Work, you see, has all pros and cons

What I like about it most is that it is useful
What turns me off is when it crowds my day
It is spirit-lifting when work renders great feeling

Voices ...

Blog 333:

Silence deafens in our harried worlds
Yet, voices far and near piercingly reverberate!

In the stillness of time and space …
Those who have gone call back to us
They assert their wills and declarations
They summon us to honor their dreams
They demand that we fight for their self-interests …

In the stillness of time and space …

Those living, but away from our presence scream too
They aren’t far from screaming and raising claims
They too loudly speak of their shoddy affairs
They cry out and rouse us to reach out

In the stillness of time and space …
 
We hear their sly tender cries
We hear their hypocritical affirmations
We hear their annoying whines
We hear their senseless noises

In the stillness of time and space …

Their wrangling sounds, we nonetheless thwart
We dispute and combat them with our strength
We fight and wrestle all mind-crowding voices
We turn-off their engineered life support
 
In the stillness of time and space …
 
We strive to filter and weed out whispering uproars
We stand ground to reclaim the sanity of our hearts
We vow to victoriously hear our own clamoring from within
We resolve to uncover voices buried in our reticent souls!

Hello, Summer!

Blog 332:

With summer comes easy feelings
Stress-free days it brings
Laze around in the light breeze
Catch the soft sun with ease

Sleep all you want if you like
Take a walk or ride your bike
Kick off shoes, relax your feet
Find something fun, share your feat
 
‘Need a change of location?
Why not take a vacation?
Take a dive or dip in the pool
Hang a hammock, just stay cool

Grab a book and plant a seed
Your brain … don’t forget to feed
Shout it out that summer’s here
Just claim each day … have no fear!

Hunt

Blog 331:

Head out and hunt
Hunt for something
Something extraordinary
Extraordinary accents
Accents for one special space
Space into which one can create
Create words … create phrases
Phrases that build into sentences
Sentences that turn into deep thoughts
Thoughts that could evoke eloquent creations
Creations of the heart … mind … soul
Soul-lifting thoughts able to capture beauty
Beauty in things made by gentle working hands
Hands that shape, mold, smooth, and form clay
Clay teapot, clay mug, clay plate … all extraordinary
Extraordinary find of a titillating hunt!

Isolation Flipped

Blog 330:

There is peace unexplainable in solitude
With it strangely come vast freedoms
…cheerfully invited
…freely flowing
…loosely disciplined
…inherently expressed

In self-imposed isolation the mind is free
With it powerfully come incredible abilities
…to bring back memories of hurtful past
…to reminisce on innocent flirtations
…to celebrate joyful achievements
…to laugh out loudly at worthless apprehensions

In the deepest privacies of the heart rest yearnings
With it wildly unveils desires and dreams
… craving to wallow in untamed wonders
... anticipating endless thrills
… trusting to break loose
… expecting instant gratification

Aloneness forces one to seek the great expanse
It liberates the soul from senseless boundaries

Food Binging

Blog 329:

Why‘s curbing an appetite an easy defeat?
Try hard as you like, you can't seem to get fit
Chips and dips beckon, “Come quick and crunch!”
Fresh-baked bread enticingly invites just as swift!

Why is the palate ever so inviting?
Wanting all with it is simply so tempting
Be it sweet chocolate, chewy jerky or peanut gritty
Gratifying it is sinful, yet pleasing!

Why is the stomach so easy to fill?
Or is it the brain that triggers the thrill?
Whether it’s salty, sweet or sour taste craves
Be wary of filthy fat, and that mighty doctor’s bill!

Lost & Found

Blog 327:

Many waking days are about losing and finding
They test our best wits and keep us wondering
Day in and day out we see people pout
What have been lost or found, let’s call out!

Lost time found in leisurely reading
Lost funds found in gambling adrenalin rush
Lost mate found in new friendships
Lost job found in pursuing a most enjoyed task
Lost coin found in others’ generous giving
Lost sleep found in passing exams
Lost food pleasure found in healthy body
Lost strong water pressure found in wiser consumption

Lamenting on losses seems fair and appropriate
When finds bring delight though, you’ll be thrilled, I bet!

Mid-east Crisis

Blog 328:

Anywhere … everywhere … despots hold supremacy
And claim dominance by hook or crook
In like mind, their tyrant allies
Build-up, pass on to them munitions and weapons
Together they aim to silence rebelling souls
With their violent schemes and war games
It didn’t matter who gets hurt or annihilated

Young and old, innocents or renegades

Those who claim themselves far superior
Hide in cloaks of ‘justice for the republic’
Yet they shell homes and paths
They air raid villages of civilians
And expose them to muscle-tightening gas
Until all are robbed of voice and life

Those few that somehow survive
Brave more split-second shelling
Lamely … they rise from the smoke and fire
To gather up their dead and mourn them
Still, others scarred or partly maimed
Bear the brunt of consoling the bereaved

For whose freedom is the fight being fought?
Which justice … what cause … whose rights kept safe?
Bombs keep exploding
Citizens blindly march out of war-stricken lands
Dignity denied
Innocence stolen
Childhood lost
Lives put on hold

Wars … crusades … time and again
Hide in guise of freedom and security

Wars … crusades … time and again
Harvest only havoc and infinitely multiply suffering

There are no winners in violence-infested places!
All lose on shameful acts of indignation and brutal force!

Spring&Spruce

Blog 326:

Spruce and groom tree limbs
Tidy up roof gutters’ seams
Search and look around you
There’s plenty of work to do

Brighten up windows
Vacuum between blinds
Remember to clean all ledges
Right outside, trim the hedges

Inside furniture requires care
All flickering lights need repair
Crummy floors scream for washing
Beat waning days of spring cleaning!

Flip that Fury!

Blog 325:

When anger crawls and builds inside
It explodes without mercy
It fumes and rages
It breeds contempt
It stirs resentment
It sinfully annoys
It infuriates
Consenting to it gnaws the mind inside out
Keeping it disparages the heart

Out with it then, you wretched wrath!
You’re shameful, inferior, devoid of worth
Fade away quickly … vanish … be gone
Let goodwill flow in and sweetly return!

Perfection in Two

Blog 324:

Two worlds
Bring potentials and promises
Two lives
Confront risks and probabilities
Two dreams
Behold prospects and possibilities
Two paths
Encounter oddities and chances
 
When complex lives become one, yet diverge
Impediments block one main road to take
Why then, oh why ... choose a course instead of two?
Both worlds could intersect if you want it to!

Call of the Wild

Blog 323:

When opposites attract
Upbeat glimpses ensue
Seduction tiptoes
Flirting begins

Soon trifling talks while time
Temperaments set right
All emotions toss and jerk

Infatuation leads to obsession
Body activates a rhumba
But tango steals and wins

One hand grips another’s
It searches for blissful touch
It hungers for an intense magic

Dallying, flipping
Twisting, cringing
Outburst of the moment cries

Sweet and daring glances
Bring thirsty lips closeup
Desire rages in titillating delight

In heat lips ache for ecstatic rush
They press, huddle, lock
In sweet surrender they oblige
To a craving fury: love or lust?

Mortality Check

Blog 322:

From silvery gray to pitch black
Clouds announce ominous skies
From soft breeze to clammy air
Winds portend gloomy weather

Like the graying clouds
A heart worries
Like the damp winds
One’s mind frets

Slight fevers get disquieting
Joint pains summon anxiety
Shifting blood pressure brings fear
Entire being screams …
“What’s happening?”

Hearing dulls
Eyesight blurs
Balance tips
Orientation shakes
Confidence whispers …
“This can’t be happening!”

Wretched of wretches …
It is what it is!
Aging harbors fits
Mind skips lucidity
Moods get vexing

Worst of all states worse …
It is what it is!
Though a flashback of pasts gives thrills
Foreshadowing one’s end brings chills
With aging comes a feeling of defeat
But mortality must itself complete!

Backfire!

Blog 321:

Double Standard bites and chews …

When two-facedness is disclosed
There’s no taking back what’s exposed
'Tis disheartening, unforgiveable
Grievous suffering comes with fall

It crumbles one’s being
It penetrates the soul
It shames all good one once stood for
It wants to run, but it’s stuck frozen
It wants to hide, but it just couldn’t
When malady and insincerity mix
Heart, mind and soul get in abysmal fix

 

Hypocrisy gnaws and poisons …

Ramblings of a Heart

Blog 320:

Go incognito
No one will know
Once in a while
Everybody does so

Hide from the truth
Live in vacuum for now
Worry not about tomorrow
‘Twill come and ‘twill go

Though in secret you break the law
And deep inside you know you’re hollow
Openly say you do mind
The Word and the Command

Conscience fears the knife?
Second thoughts bring strife? 

Do you think it’s OK hanging out at My temple?
Do you think there’s safety in the midst of rambling people?
Be warned, dear child … and do realize
False pretenses yield emptiness in disguise
Know deception-centeredness washes out life’s prime
And taking My Name in vain is soul-deep crime!

Play on Green

Blog 319:

Freshly cut and carpet-like
Verdant green grasses invite
“Come now … come one …
Come all … everyone!”

In time crowds appear
They turn up from far and near
Large-footed creatures cram
Teensy-tiny four legs swarm

Bushy bunny rabbits hop on
Squirrels spring, prance, run
Daring Cardinals pick on the pack
Turtles snub and sleep in shell shack

Soon all around … indeed very soon
Carpet-green ground plays a merry tune
Chirp!  Hoppity-hop! Eaah!  Aaahh! Tweet!
“This gathering,” says all “is one great treat!”

Ugh! & Whew!

Blog 318:

Ugh!

Clutter build up everywhere
Spot it all down that corner

Now that the pile gives you the jitter
What do I do with all the litter?

Hide them over and away, pretty please!
Get me satisfied … contented … at ease!

Okay … okay … as you wish, here they go
Ditch and dump … all scrap we throw

Toss all the junk mail!
Rid of scrawny pail!
Clear that mounting trash!
All refuse, please smash!

Whew!

Move&Act!

Blog 317:

Note days that come and go
Mind how they pass and flow
Like it or not, time goes and goes
Move with it or you make foes!

Finish that paper … get to it now
Run for health … keep your vow
Mind the expenses … scrimp and save
Be very frugal, don’t ever cave!
 
Do now what you’ve set or planned
Procrastinate … you’ll end up canned
Dilly-dally you best dare not
You’ll see, in folly you end in a rut!

Weather-the-Weather

From cold air to warm breeze
From tickly raindrops to sunshine warm
Weather flips and jumps
Again and again it changes minds!

Today it’s droopily overcast
Tomorrow it’s sweltering hot
Watch out for day after that
Heavy storms will drop a slump!

Weather the weather we must
Rain or shine we’re warned to trust
Whether it’s fair or it’s not
Weather determines a whole lot!

Sleep ...

Blog 315:

Lay tight arms and tired legs
Or cuddle them close up
Tilt back your head
Or curl it close to bosom
Pull a cover over weary eyes
Or let passing wind cool them
Then take sweet, deep breaths
And let loose of conscious wits
Go ahead … heal your body
Invigorate now your mind
Take a light snooze or deep sleep
And lift all cares up and away
Just lift your body, spirit, intellect!

Gift of Life

Blog 314:

Upon waking and rising
The sun’s warmth reveals promises …
    There’s energy from renewed strength
    There’s light apt to shine a blurry path

    There’s time unfolding great possibility

Upon waking and rising
The heart pumps vigorous blood …
    It activates the mind’s rhythms
    It directs the intricate body machinery
    It rejuvenates the minutest cell and fiber

Upon waking and rising
Life attends to graceful gifts it brings …
    Eyes search and ears listen for critical responses
    Loving hands create good things, reaches … touches hurts
    Determined feet walk destinations of need and want

Upon waking and rising
Life received transforms as a blessed offering
   Let life’s precious time and resource fully serve
   Let life’s endowed or acquired ability get shared
   Let life's humble self give gifts that keep giving!

Kindred Hearts

Blog 313:

In time of need ...
People we don’t know
Gather around
And ask, “What can I do?”
It doesn’t matter the task
Kindhearted people get out of comfort zone to aid
It doesn’t matter the place
Sympathetic people listen to console troubled minds

In time of need ...
People we know
Come around
And relay, “Tell me how I can help!”
It doesn’t matter the hour
Thoughtful people share words that console
It doesn’t matter the gravity of situation
Compassionate people do what’s required to ease pain

In time of sorrow or distress
People bond to make grief turn to joy
In time of burden or torment
People get together to ease conflict
In time of disappointment or lamenting
People pour out thoughts of comfort

People come in various standings
People come short, tall, round or slim
No matter the rank, age or prominence
People with tender, loving hearts amazingly act!

Taste Dare

Blog 312:

‘Like it sweet?
‘Like it sour?
Combine tastes
Get sweet ’n’ sour!

Apples sweet, apples sour
Make it mangoes sweet ‘n’ sour
What more, oh my … sweetsop or soursop?
Feed that craving or make it stop!

Mangosteen or cranberry
Purple plum or red cherry
Curve now tongue’s delight
Or let it freeze in fright!

Squeeze the juice while it’s fresh
‘Want a dare - go bite that flesh
Cut one in half or slice it thin
If you prefer do peel the skin!

Round and shiny, gritty or crunchy
Delicious delight … gosh, don’t be picky
Season’s harvests come and flock
Fill your baskets, get a pack!