lessons for a kid

If you want to teach a kid a valuable lesson for life what would it be? I try to make up my mind and lots of things come. Still thinking...

- sleep well
- eat healthy
- stay clean (and dry)
- find comfort in doing good things like sport, and being with friends
- do not fear to be alone but do not over do it
- be cheerful, it does not hurt anybody
- walk happily
- attend to live's important events
- be there for your friends when they need you most
- be respectful of others and yourself
- be helpful
- learn whatever you can where you are before you move on and most of all learn to love
- keep your word
- life is precious, you are precious - you are life!

river

between us is a river flowing
sometimes with a serene humming
sometimes growing
out of bounds with nervous growling

it can come rolling stones
and breaking twigs one second
to calm down later sparkling clean
dancing so sweetly you forget it was mean

let's work to tame the river
so it can never hurt, but be forgiving
teach it love and peace so we yearn
for our river to keep flowing.

hope

Hope that the trip will be smooth
that the sun will rise high
and brighten your day today
as in many other days has done

hope that your legs will be strong
to take you far away;
many roads in front of you lay
so you need your shoes to last long

take a friend by the hand
give each other support
if the road get tough and the weather rough
or if you step by mistake on dark land

some light will chose to stay
within your heart at all times
use it when you need it
burn it with care - to feed hope

light will come again
most likely you will be there
to soak it in and if you share it
it will double its value

wallk in beauty

walk your walk in peace
may the winds' harsh blows not touch you,
may the storms not bend you
may you grow tall and strong;

choose to grow in peace,
do not fight imaginary fights
which are not worth the wounds
do not keep deep wounds on your body;

do not keep wounds on your memory
walk in beauty and prepare
to flow into love and shine
get ready to dance for joy in your life.

rest when you need to rest
to keep your balance;
and if you need support call
I will raise from the ground up

to hold your head up
to wipe your forehead clean bright
with my branches; and the strength of your roots
we'll walk in balance

one step at the time
this trip is worth taking
even if you need to go to school for a while
you learn your stride on your own

walk in beauty

sweet magnolias

image from http://www.basdenfamily.com/
at the end of spring, at the budding of summer
it is the time when the air smells sweet
from everywhere you are surrounded
by the aroma of southern magnolias

stately and green they mark the south
with imposing and statures. Graciously
they offer globes of white surprises
as their gift to the coming summer.

they share their shade with growing bunnies,
their branches with aspiring climbers
their skinned knees growing strong
with each run on the lawn, with each climb and each rest
in the shade of sweet magnolias

open your flowers and open your hearts
to the heat of the summer, and the songs of robins!
open your eyes and see the white lights
brought to us today as they were before hundreds of years
from the old good times by the sweet magnolias.

literary start

going, blowing ...Ana makes poems - with rhymes and rhythms!

time

time is what you make of it
that is most of the time;
like - when you call a friend
to drink a coffee al fresco;
and it is clearly not because of the coffee;
like when you climb a mountain
of any sorts and heights
and you do not care how high and far you can get;
like - when you read a story in the night
to a child, surrounded by hugs,
and it does not really matter what the story says;
like - when you listen to your grandmother's stories
that come from the depth of her life,
and snowflakes start falling
from the heaven's highs onto her hairs
and your eyes barely start seeing
what time was and how it changes us.

sometimes choose to sit in silence
by the river of life for a couple of seconds
let the river do the running
and the talking too
and start listening;
and then choose to make time
your friend, and time for your friends
while life is here to be lived
pure and joyful too.

traveller's song

when you take a trip
it is your chance to learn again,
to become a new you
so listen to the life you pass by,
keep your eyes open
and new days will reveal themselves
in colors not seen before
when walking walk in peace with the road
you chose
with the people you meet and try
to speak like them
to walk in their shoes for a while
try to be there
for them to help and to talk to
but mostly to listen.
your world may gently be reborn
if you step out
of yesterday's constricting skin
freedom may start growing
in your mind tomorrow;
perhaps if because you have sat
on the banks
of the ever-changing river of life.

plantation garden

image from tclf.org

http://www.celtic-life.net/galler36.jpg


down south where the summers are steamy,
it is where sweaty hands used to gather
the sticky tobacco leaves,
where rice grew in stratified ponds,
and the cotton bloomed.
it is there where the afternoons
flowed like molasses,
while evenings were headed towards the night
guided by banjo strings;
the rhythms swung the rocker
on the wooden porch
they impregnated the soil
under the swamps
and the herbs danced
never minding the mosquitoes.

if you put your head down onto hard soil
your ear can still hear
yesterday's rhythms.
you can sill feel the love of the lord
who has turned the fruit of the soil
into a beautiful garden
of reverend roses,
camellias and azaleas;
where the oaks shelter
under moving shadows
of spanish moss
long standing statues
and the remains of
those who have passed

dance on the beach

it starts with May when the sun gets high
and the heat sets in; when the sand is bright
and the oceans seem clean, when you ride
the tide on a foamy crest till you need to rest

one morning children start coming
with their plastic shovels, ready to work the sand
to build castles, tunnels and incredible sculptures
and for lunch they'd have sandy patty cakes

a kite will rise high in the sky to signal for all
the beginning of the hot season;
down on the beach a girl with a very wet curl
would dance and her dance aims to catch

the shadow of the kite running
on the very bright sand;
the seagulls' laugh -
cause for them as for us
summer is never enough;
the rolling sounds of shells,
and crumpling of ocean herbs;
while the dance goes on
the crabs run to hide
waiting for the tide;
the ocean itself
does the drumming;
in the background
for just a while
the waves are humming

a week's portrait

dogwood tree
detail

on Monday color my day in dreamy pastel;
on Tuesday pair me some lively colors;
on Wednesday mix them all frantically;
on Thursday try to sort out the meaning
of the painting you should finish by Friday;
on Saturday drink black coffee and break
so you can finish the week with magic
touches on Sunday - and sign it.

rain

rain falls on your head
choose to protect it or be
grateful for the rain

the loop

spring sprouts green shoots up
hungry soil feeds the shoots now
next will be their turn

(soil will feed later)

what are stones for

stones are for being rounded
by water flowing
persistently among them

goal

set your priorities right while life is here to be lived.
there will always be problems to solve, work to be done,
kids who get sick then better, and ready to run
which ones come first is your pick.

some chose a crazy busy life style and since then have tried
hard to do multiple tasks at one time, or at least most of them in a day
while the length of the same day stayed stuck
at 24 hours - no more than that

they got somehow forgetful while doing their best
to keep on track. some have lost objects, some memories,
and some even the idea that life is still here to be lived,
walks are to be walked, while your legs are still strong

meals are to be cooked, souls to be nourished,
love to be shared, hugs to be exchanged, mountains to be climbed,
seas to be tried wave after wave - so many things to be done
while life is still here, strongly desiring to be lived.

can't do them all at once, we have to chose wisely,
we have to stay calm, cause rush is burning the time
we have to just set our priorities right,
while still keeping the right to change them - later.

azaleas and dogwoods

photo Andrea Allison

these are the days when the colors spring
from the azalea bushes
from deep red to white through all hues of pink
to the level of our hearts

they are bursting with joy from expectations
of good weather days
of running and jumping on wide open fields
worry free blessed moments

dogwoods rise higher and calmer offering their
cross shaped flowers
to remind us at Easter time of the suffering
of the purest cross bearer

no Ps allowed

One can read this sign as: no Ps allowed!
how about these: passion, perseverance, progress, peace?

(bicycle) days on the hills

photo credit:Maarten van der Burgt


when times run slower I would use my bicycle
to go to school, to work, pretty much everywhere
on those hills that I used to call home;
on the smooth roads that would lead to a beach
at sunset and the end of a day.
the fields and the bushes, daring bougainvilleas and trees
I learned to know, and even the bees that were visiting these.
the people at the corner store, and the old women
in charge of the house where they were growing their nephews,
I would see from the road going about routine life.
the light and the breeze were my friends, the hills themselves
had become part of me, after many days of living together so close.
the bicycle resembled a horse and all I had to do was
look for the windmills Don Quijote had missed.

Now that I am awake and no longer live within dreams
I still miss the light and the breeze, and the effort
I was able to put in traversing those hills;
I miss their little noises like the the buzz of the bees .
Silent cars have replaced many of the bicycles
my friends and I used on a bumpier street.
I think rushing people have promised themselves more time
to to what they want once they reach their destination at the beach.
On the same road old people still used to walking and talking
head in peace towards the same beach at the end of the day.
As for me I continue to see : less from the seat of my bike
more through the car's window new windmills Don Quijote has missed;
look hard - they're real if you only can see them,
they disappear when you don't think of them.

science fair and feegles

Yesterday was Hope Valley Elementary first Science Fair. Got to view interesting projects, some involving more some less the parents. Liked the project where one whole class had contribued to building a roller coaster. Some projects needed a little "filtration" - like the one on aliens, or the one presenting a Rumba. Overall a great experience and well deserved congratulations to the science teacher and the contributors.
Meanwhile I am introduced fast to the world of the Feegles. Good & fun reading for young girls and boys - from Terry Pratchett.

http://www.playergallery.com/cv.html

rain, rain come again

today the rain came as a friend
to help me clean the deck of pollen.
to spare me the need
to wash the car hybrid;
tonight I hope the rain
she will visit us again
else the carpet of pollen
would have grown to my nose
make it itch and ready to sneeze
with every little bit of a breeze

slow awakening

imagine that you can slow down;
there is no point in rushing by for now
cause time has given you an extra hour
yours to spend the way you want

what would you do, where would you go?
or will you choose to simply stay
where you are now and take your time
to just absorb the joy of the awaking world

you had forgotten it was all around?
the trees, the creek and all the bugs
you thought annoying now notice
they all seem to be a lively world of art.

walk

thoughts come uncalled
when you walk slowly in the park,
tired on the steep mountain path,
or slowly squeaking on the snow.

the higher you climb the lighter you feel
the more tired you get, the more clean
the farther away your steps get
the closer you get to your heart

lentils - a feast of colors

tiny orange pellets,
yellow halves of moons,
tiny brown and greenish discs
are sitting in the pantry shelves;

pulses feed a modest body
through lent and other days;
don't disregard them
these old foods are here to stay;

do not be greedy, but grateful
for the gifts of the earth
for skills in the hands of the cook
and her patience.

links of the day

A day to remember John Hope Franklin!

On scholarship
"The very essence of the life of the mind is the freedom to inquire, to examine, and to criticize. But that freedom has the same restraints abroad that it has at home: to state one's position, if impelled by personal conviction, with clarity, reason, and sobriety, always mindful of the point that the scholar recognizes and tolerates different views that others may hold and that his view is independent, not official."
The American Scholar
1968

"I have never regretted the decision to remain a student and a teacher of history. ...I have been a student and advocate of the view that the exchange of ideas is more healthy and constructive than the exchange of bullets."
Charles Homer Haskins lecture
April 14, 1988

"You can't have a high standard of scholarship without having a high standard of integrity, because the essence of scholarship is truth."
Winston-Salem Journal
Aug. 6, 1989

http://www.duke.edu/johnhopefranklin/index.html

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2009/03/the-old-man-is-dead-john-hope-franklin-19152009.html

thought of the day

Talk to your children, nourish them with good foods, for their tummies and minds; encourage them to be physically active; involve them and make them aware of the world. You can learn with them too, it is your second chance at growing smarter. Keep trying, your efforts should pay back.
- inspired by "Intelligence and how to get it", by Richard Nisbett.

morning song

(thinking of Demmis, Lena and Frank and those who need just a little more light)

with great joy the morning has risen
over the town and the forest alike
nodding their heads daffodils bring thanks
for the coming of spring

may the path lead your feet faster
may you discover bursting hearts on young branches;
may the fresh air bring vigor and health
in harmony let us say grace for this simple wealth.

may you grow stronger today in your body
may you take steps ever more steady
may your mind feel curious and bright
may this teach you to spread around light.

daredevil

who told you
that you could
steal my heart
and wrap it around your fingers,
as if it were a blade of grass?
who taught you to stretch my patience
involve me in all your games;
make me run, sing and
in general do everything
your heart desires.
look at you
you are only four
daredevil you -
know not the meaning
of the word rule.
I am to tell you
that you have a lot to learn
while your giggles tell me that you think
you somehow know
everything.

anchor

photos courtesy of Chris Benton (http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=404845)

one day I will find myself
walking at the edge of the sea
on a pebbled beach
swept by the wind of memory

nothing could be cleaner
than the foam of a salty wave
no history of its travels
just the essence of being

present but ephemeral
digesting the joy of the moment
heated by the sun, shadowed by the cloud
nothing more, nothing less but me

no hunger taints the moment
budding is the creation of thoughts,
images of what can be done with bare hands
with clay and paper and colors

mind the rising dreams from the children
anchored in those of their ancestors;
living on the edge of the wave
in nothing but the present

today there is no need for excuse, or apology
no room for mistakes, everything goes
nothing is purer than the salt
on this beach swept by the wind and the sea
(of memory)

spring symphony in two colors on a backround of green

the spring symphony has started violently in yellow
from the bottom up: dandelions, daffodils, forsythias and unknown climbers
try passing their message with a lot of fanfare all the way to my ears:
"we are here triumphing against the cold and the snow"

away I go, it cannot be but the beginning of spring
and you are all out already (that means the mosquito will soon start to sting)
I cannot be convinced that this is how is going to be for all the duration of the spring symphony
but I have to give in under their gentle pressure exerted in harmony

the purple humble crocuses, irises, magnolias are all humming low key
"we are here triumphing against the cold and the snow"
we've pulled aside the winter's curtain of sorrow
our show is full of green joy, tune in - it is our time and our symphony

at day at the Nasher's

a day at the Nasher's museum of art
went out of the ordinary
when the docents took time from their daily routine
to invest in in teaching school children with heart

they made up stories about strange people
living in the Bloomsbury house
their moods and their darings were all discussed;
we concluded they might had feelings - like us.

except it was hard sometimes to distinguish
smile from sorrow, and loneliness
in the crowd gaily cohabiting
in the mansion nest for the art.

we gave names to the paintings,
we gave reasons to feelings
we left home with our hearts budding
artistic expressions of our own beings

passage

the snow has built last night a tunnel through the forest
and covered trees with lace and drapes
it was the winter's way to ease the passage
to let spring come, to say good bye and take a one year rest

On this clean Monday, when spring fasting starts
there's lots of pure white snow to mark the day
snow on pink buds, and snow on lambs,
snow on the hats of children playing out with joy.

quote of the week

"A goal without a plan is a dream" - project management workshop

the mistress of spices

I have met the mistress of spices herself
she was pregnant and happy
and the spices were bouncing on their shelves
to a music of their own in a joyful dance

she had just returned from a trip
around the world
and when she opened the door
of her newly reborn store the spices knew

she had come to stay
to settle around them, spices and dahls
of many colors, incenses and flower petals,
she had returned to them

the joy was great, as was the price to pay
for they - keepers of secrets would have to share
for the better part of the day
their mistress with a baby so pure and so fair.

anniversary

photo belongs to Brant Avondet
Wise things have been said about the passing of time
we acknowledge at anniversaries for most of our lives.
As I age I recall the joy of birthday parties when I was a child
the gathering of friends and opening of presents
the cake with candles happily burning, occasionally dripping
on my favorite chocolate frosting;
and also Mom the best dessert maker,and party organizer ever.

As I grew up and left home I took over the role
my Mom played for so long: the cake building, inviting the friends
placing the candles and counting the years.
As the candle number grew higher, to high to fit them all confortably
on any reasonable cake I plainly stopped making them
in the secret hope that ignoring the yearly event
will make the passing of time ignorable too;
but the years still kept coming, shading a sort of dust which made my hair graying.

I bake cakes again, and enjoy childrens' birthdays
as for the grownups I like to compare them with good aging wines
and there are so many I like to remember.
Some like the ubiquitous retsina
have a bitter feeling about them, like those tired days after which
you want to get fresh again to prepare for tomorrow.
There are white wines from Kefalonia clear like a summer morning,
oily golden ones from Samos, and the thick red wines from Santorini
sweet like a romantic summer evening,
and the perennial favorite the reminder of carnival nights
Mavrodaphne of Achaia - from the hills around the city of Patras.
Wish my friend that there enough days for us to taste
the variety days can have in a lifetime of all sorts of events;
live, drink and enjoy the presence of friends.

monday morning

when morning comes
be ready to start the day
you can choose to endure it
or to really enjoy it.

breath in, breath out
listen to the nature outside
it can help pick a song for your heart
and go on right foot forward.

rise and shine
Monday morning is here
like any new beginning
it can be full of surprise.

invest

Invest in the future
invest in your children
the bearers of the torch
burning the essence of hope;

invest in the joy
they will be bringing
if they grow up right
loving the light.

invest in clear water and foods
they'll drink and eat to get strong;
invest in good books
forming their thoughts

let them build their own future;
but educate them well
so they can take care of this world
and of you - one day when it is their turn

the ballad of the lonely boy

My name is John and I feel lonesome
It's raining out and nobody has time to play with me;
I only have my hands to build, my eyes to read
my feet to run with but I have no company.

I wait for friends to show up at my door
I wait for mom to come from work;
I have some homework on my desk
and can decide from what I have to do what's best

I have to lift myself from this sad mood
I start to count by lifting up a finger:
Mom she calls me "my good boy", she says I am hers;
that is not really true because - on the count of two
I realize my father says I'm his too.
I also have two grandmothers and a grandfather,
a godtmother, a good cousin, a couple aunts and uncles
that all say they love me so.

They are my family and they are many;
although they may not live close by
they all say that I'm theirs and love me so;
and when I think of them my soul gets warm.

if one could figure out today a way
to turn love into heat we are so many
in this family that we could keep tho whole world warm;
until then I think I am not lonesome after all.

needs/wants/dreams

what do we need today?

perhaps to forget about greed

and to remember the joys of simple lives;

perhaps we need to remember the times

of our grand fathers, when time used to run slower,

kids had fewer toys but more time with their mothers.

we still need to work on solving our conflicts

and learning to love our neighbors

even if they are different.

we still need hope and faith

and to search for a good direction of thoughts

and a coffee table or two at the edge of the street

 to allow for public debates.

do I really need perfect fruits even if they poison the kids?

do I really need fast growing chicks, cows or pigs;

are they not allowed to grow at their own pace any more

because of our greed?

do I really need 10 pairs of pants, and a shiny new car?

perhaps, but give me a friend to talk and think with 

in my free time I spend  around of the coffee tables

that line our street. 

give me time so I can take a trip 

and see other people 

and feel their needs

my boat needs to go 

my brain wants to see

my heart needs to dream

of people, places and rules

that allow for healthy simplicity.

pink buds

One of the wonders of the world

descended right from heaven onto mother earth

she smiled and from her smile were born

pink buds onto the trees who line the street

this  january in medium cold Durham,  NC.

The spring like air I breath and both my lungs 

expand with joy anticipating sunny spring

but winter's here and snow has fallen.

the pink buds blush at their mistake

cause they were born one month or two too soon

and thus gave us an unexpected winter break.