I’m always thinking when I’m stargazing
Thoughts rush through my mind one after another
And I sit there, in silence
My lips never part
The insects chirp
Mosquitoes buz by
The stereo plays gentle folk songs
And the stars drift on
It’s amazing what you hear
When you just shut up
Learning is not just doing
But also listening
Then I ask God why he wants me here
And I ask him what part of him does he want to show through me
And I hope
I have faith that I am doing the right thing
According to him
The coffee is hot
The air is moist
Every breeze brings a whiff of fresh grass
Cool and refreshing
My dad is going through chemotherapy for cancer
And I regret my life choices
I wish I was more like him
Had I listened
And he is a good man
He earned a good life
And preferred his peace
But fought when he had to
There was a happy balance in everything he did
Raising kids
Providing for the family (my mother too, God bless her)
He did teach me a lot
More by his actions than his words
He was a living example
Bless him
I find human behavior incredibly fascinating
Everyone appears to be on autopilot with “things to do”
And I’m just standing there watching all the bustle
Hands reach out
They say “come on!”
And they try to pull me in
And they try to pull me in
And they try to pull me in
But they lose their grip
And keep going
And I’m still here
Greeting them all
Cygnus
Pegasus and Cassiopeia
Andromeda
Aries and Pisces
Triangulum
And here I am
Maybe it is I
Who passes them by…
Persius comes next
And I wonder
How each has a name
A story
A story
A story
Each one recognized
And given an image
Projecting on me
Tales of love
Of drama
Tales of life and death
Tales of curse
And I shiver
Tag: reflection
The Valley Fog
The ghosts came after we left.
We didn’t even know they were waiting.
Now, all we have is what’s in front of us.
Because what’s behind is nothing but vapor.
Illusions of a past reality.
They didn’t care, these ghosts.
Something had to fill that void…
After we left.
The Maritimes
Her eyes hold the depth of the sea and the intensity of its breakers, pearls of sage hidden in the deep.
Her cocoa rich locks dance in the coastal breeze.
Her touch, warm and soft like the sun-kissed sand.
She smiles like the sun, radiant and whole.
Her heart whispers love, like gentle ripples caressing a rocky shoreline.
Fierce as a nor’easter, meek as a friend.
A love that is only found
Once in a lifetime.
At the Hotel
He sat at the table of the hotel’s second-floor dining room, looking out the picture window toward the city beyond. He remembered how many times he had seen this view but never could get used to it. Sipping the last drops of his already cooled coffee, he gazed at the empty booth seat across the table from him, imagining someone special sat there smiling.
Hotels never felt like home, but often familiar. Like the token ice machine in the hall by his room, the gentle crash of fresh ice tumbling into the reservoir echoing through the hallway; or the coffee station by the reception desk that served generic brands of coffee and tea which always tasted a bit weak. It was as if every hotel had figured out that guests essentially needed ice and coffee to have a comfortable visit, not necessarily in combination with each other.
His travels brought him a longing for consistency and predictability — the very things most people try to escape for lack of excitement. He’d be more than willing to trade places. The road took a toll on him and wore down his desire for adventure after realizing how plain everything had become. Maybe he just didn’t like to explore too far from the hotel room in his off time. Maybe he was waiting to share the adventure with someone who would never show up.
He reached into the breast pocket of his ivory-colored shirt, pulled out a five-dollar bill, unfolded the crease and rested the coffee cup on it, then got up and left.
Untitled
I embraced a thorny hedge, and it stung me.
I kissed fire, and it burned me.
I walked hand-in-hand with joy, and it slipped away.
I pursued desire, but misdirected.
Now I sit in a wilderness,
A stranger with no home.
Empty hands,
Empty heart,
And a will
To stay alone.
Striving till the End
Embarking on a monumental, life-changing journey involves a beginning—a moment where the decision is made to pursue something—and an end, whether it be any form of monetary or material gain, or simply death itself. Whatever the end may be, we are sure to find the beginnings difficult and tedious, and the task itself challenging throughout, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
If one subscribes to the opinion that the pursuit of something great is impossible due to perceived shortcomings, then one might as well say that gravity is too strong to even arise from the bed. Absurd as it may seem, since we rise each morning to face the new day’s challenges and delights, we don’t lock ourselves in bed and refuse to move. Yet, when we wish to achieve something, we often forget the challenges and perseverance required.
I am reminded of the book of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon writes, “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” So often, we take pride in our works and pursuits to the point of defeat when they go unrecognized, causing us to abandon them. I’m guilty of this on more than one occasion.
Solomon reminds us that pride and recognition are not the goals. Instead, there must be a fundamental driving force that spurs not only the initial pursuit but also the drive to see it through to fruition.
What a shame it is to pursue something solely for the sake of fame or popular acceptance, driven by the praises of others or material rewards alone. In the midst of cheers and celebration, we lose sight of the goal, and our pursuits end as dead as they were before they were conceived. What was it founded in?
It’s so disappointing nowadays to expect instant answers and immediate results, and to believe we can leave the striving to someone lesser deserved. How foolish that is. Patience and perseverance are where growth takes place, and they should be embraced along with the suffering and striving.
Let’s reframe our pursuits to fit godly goals and forget the deception of false praise and support from those who would leave you for dead had you chose a path not aligned to theirs.
Clouds
As they drift along, when you see a cloud, you say “that’s a cloud,” because you know what a cloud looks like. Though it would take many shapes; a warm rain, harsh hail, frigid snow, electrified and deadly. But it is still a cloud. Will you then say that one cloud is less beautiful than any other? Or that it does not belong or is misshapen? We welcome the rain and fear the storms. But the cloud does not discriminate; it does what clouds do. And so consider a human, you see someone, and say “that is another person.” But you don’t know what storms they may bring, what warm rain or cool shade they may offer, or whether they’re here to harm or to help. They are who they are, and they do what they do. Now look beyond the flesh and vapor, to see deeper, to see what’s behind it all; a beauty, invisible and mysterious. Beyond the hate, beyond the fear.
There is a fear in the unknown, a terrible anxiety.
How is a person like a cloud, or a cloud like a planet, or a planet like a galaxy? These all painted on one canvas for all to see. But this canvas, that which holds it all together, is unseen.
Does it scare you?
Or do you take comfort in it?
The patterns, the shapes, reminders both subtle and bold. Take a moment and have a closer look.
Clouds passing, one-by-one.
It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?
Now don’t be afraid, just breathe deeply and remember to let go.
“Regard yourself as a cloud.” – Alan Watts
Turn the Page
Happy for a moment
A storm comes
We part
Familiarity
Desolation
A cold respite
Unpleasant reminders
These mistakes
Lessons
Gossip
Hens
Red and black
Scars of the day
Like years
Written in clay
This moment
Not the past
Nor future
The storm passes
Sunrise
A sparrow sings
Fresh air
New perspective
Time to go
Turn the page.
