prey birds

the pray birds
can you teach them to live
by farming?
can you hide the mouse
or the rabbit from its sighting?
can you accept today
your loss
and make up for it tomorrow
through hard work ;
or will you fight
for your right and get up
from dark sorrow?

the coming of winter

the northern lights have brought the snow
from frost country today
and it has started to fall
huge balls rolling on the edge of the night

the wings of wind batted the air gently
so as to shake your curtains
cause winter is waiting for your fingers
to draw lines on ice flowers and buds on a window

the masters of frost will copy your drawings
on snowflakes and ice cones
and lace at the edges of shivering rivers
just draw and sing to the blizzard

tame the night with calm thoughts by the fire
then come morning silence the squeaking of snow
advance your sure steps making a path
back to the source of the northern lights

happy island

somewhere far
but not as far as the edge of the world
there must be
a happy island waiting for me

there must be songs
from the shore birds; and dancing fish
will rise to the surface
to see the foamy reflections of sunset

there must be light
enough to fill an empty heart
lacking direction
shall it drift off on its shore

there must be peace
and a total absence of fear
the only worry
need be putting one step in front of the other

loneliness here
must be a gift from the Gods
at their feet
the whole round world will be humming

I shall set sail
I cannot wait on board for the proper wind
I need to search for my island
while my arms can still work with the oars

stormy evening

there's a stormy atmosphere
indoors as well as outdoors;
some trees have dyed their hair red
and the rest of the forest is mad;
the trunks are shaking and bending,
the wind is lamenting
the very fate that it brings;
the leaves are turning
and spinning in spirals.
the kitchen is warm and inviting
the radio is spreading the news;
I sit to gather my thoughts
round the table, while mama is baking
chocolate chips in the oven
and dad is wishing for roast,
while all grandma wants for this dinner
is a cup of tea and some toast.

transition

at the edge between summer and fall
there is a smooth transition
of warm winds and a rain which drops
gentle notes on a musical composition

at the edge between autumn and winter
there is a storm of golden leaves
turning to brown,
a misty gown
dresses the morning with fear
that the first frost is too near

at the edge between winter and spring
there are buds on a twig
daring to grow into the unknown
fast to change mood atmosphere

fidgety, tricky and awfully pretty
spring gets in our bodies the heat
that we missed and the light
our souls need to set flight

when you start to think
that finally spring is here
summer has already began
we missed this transition
and we happily sweat
for a couple of months
I have never had
enough yet.

wake

wake little elf wake
the morning is hear
and breakfast is near
wake little elf wake!

I still need to sleep
his little face said;
then a smile budded on his cheek
followed by a frown
which frowned
on his forehead;
but peaceful he stayed
in his bed and he slept;
for when elves sleep
they dream deep,
in the forest
where only sleep-waves can creep.
so I had to finally send
a giggle and a couple of words
to cut the spider nets
clouding his eyes
with sleepy syrupy veils;
and the giggles cut through
like green blades
that the grass knights use
to salute the light.

wake little elf wake
the morning is hear,
breakfast is near
and mama will bake
if only you wake
little elf wake!

make believe

do not believe that because
you got a lot of candy tonight
life must be sweet to you
and most everybody - always

do not believe that the girl
with sparkly shoes
can use them to fly
away from the witch taunting her

neither the witch
does not have magic tricks
up her sleeves
but just a scary face

incredible as it seems
they may not be
too different
from each other

(as you wander together
the distance from one heart
to another need not be long
unless you set yourself apart)

try to feel good
in your own shoes
but if they still
give you bruises and bumps

get out of them as fast
as you can; make a plan
and if it does not work
make yet another!

with you own hands, and your mind
turn your plan into real
life and work, believe in yourself
and that you have friends, always

permanence

--from http://chicagoblogger.com/--

..from artbyzaky...
---this one to LC---
because I have learned
to love your words,
waving on your ocean of songs
I want to believe
that at least certain things
and more importantly people
are here to stay
for good, in permanence.
what matters is
that people share
even if briefly
their wisdom and their love
with those around;
this time the town
has opened its arms
to welcome the old man
who has come to share
his calmness;
[the use of a cover
filled with calmness
to taper the deepest troubles]
over a concert,
tea and oranges

little kid

sweet sleeper
slow waker;
cheek kisser
heart breaker;
happy giggler
trouble maker;
nerve stretcher
joy giver.

stawars

little A can spell her (now) favorite movie(s) title: stawars (who can hear that "r" well anyway?). And she has seen these movies so many times (sometimes with interruptions for dinner or night sleep) that she refers to them in the following way: : "usually Obi Wan dies in this episode". You see, sometimes he does not get to die in that particular episode simply because we pause the movie and go to bed.

little flower

she said
if cannot all be roses
let us humble flowers
cover the ground with goodness
as our way to serve
the same Lord
that roses do
in their beauty.
since then till today
from flower to flower,
and through the bees
they are still spreading
and sharing
the honey of her sayings.

driving by a garden

the sudden smile of black eyed susans
growing widely and unpretentiously
at the edge of the road
follows the drivers into the otherwise gray
roads through the city;
you cannot really speed up
first of all because of the children
on the way to school or a baseball game;
but because of bikers and possible drunkards
all vulnerable and delicate in some way;
but mostly because you secretly peek
towards the the pink to purple cone flowers
echinaceas and others
like red monardas and colorful lantanas;
and the shy but sturdy asters;
and because your noise
may scare away the butterflies
that only live for a couple of days;
ephemeral and beautiful as they all are
the inhabitants of these permanent gardens.

southern garden

the gardens here never sleep
(their roots though may not run too deep)
because the air is so friendly and warm
that the bugs stay alive and merrily swarm
all year long they are busy
the gardeners do not have it easy
there is no time to rest
they must always work at their best
keep the pests in control
on their side of the knoll.
all give thanks to the sun
be are grateful for the fruit
and the flowers happily blooming
grace to its shinning.

new math

.......................this one is from and for my friend Miles...
I have been counting sticks and stones
but mostly my fingers so far;
then to raise the bar
I have learned higher numbers
some of them I can only pronounce
as letters: like google and billion
(I am not sure how long they should be
with their trailing zeros in tail
if I were to write them on paper let's say)
but in general I can write
and wiggle and juggle numbers around
with great joy, to the point
that I have invented
today a new kind of math.
I have shared it with friends
and they have decreed
that a new king of math was anointed
they gave me a crown!
from too much excitement
I think I'll chase numbers
in my dreams until dawn.

the prettiest tree

there is a tree
the prettiest tree
you can see if you look hard
and it grows in my yard;
it dresses in white
in the spring
therefore I think
it must certainly be
a lady tree;
but wait I am not sure
cause most of the times
it dresses in green;
the liveliest green
you have ever seen;
later when it is time for fall
it darkens to brown
and here and there
a patch of red
I see in her hair.
the strangest habit it has
when I dress in sweaters
my tree is bare
to the branches and bones;
so the squirrels must run
up and down the tree trunk
as hard as they can
to keep my pretty tree warm.

a mile long hike

step gently over these leaves
they are busy feeding the ground
with all the sugar they've gathered
during the summer;
they are quietly giving life
to the next year's crop
while we are here for the day
happily hiking;
a mile long hike
is not a long experience
but it does give a glimpse
into the depth of the water,
the steepness of the slope,
and the age of the stone.
the air may get a little rare
but the soil and the trees
help and breath back the life
that we need to see and to care for.

share the view and the sure way
you take a step
but gently, pay attention
to the delicate life that grows
everywhere, even under your foot;
be inspired, look up
keep in you this view from the top.
you can grow too
with little resources;
and your are still
able to give and to judge
and mainly to live
simply, gently
never boringly - plain.

be in harmony

be the change
you want to see in the world
give the spark
that will keep hope flaming hot
forgive sins
that keep enemies apart
bring your friends
together so they can see
different
views cannot set boundaries
harmony
is what we've been longing for

Herta Müller

This lady has won the Nobel Prize for literature. She can hardly believe it. We can still congratulate her!

young

being young I still need
your wing to raise me to the height of my dream
being young I still need
your shoulders to support my adventure or miss

being young I still need
your guiding hand to cross the forest in safety
being young I still need
you to tell me the sources to use for nourishment


being young I still need
to challenge you and your age appropriate wisdom;
being wise you still need
to make patience and teach me forgiveness

being up there you need not
look down on me but rather respect the potential in me
I will be the one to feed
you in your old days, to forgive you old age's mistakes

that is if you do
teach me the right things now, if you do think of me
i will think of you
highly and kindly and we can possibly share the path

or you can just wait
until I move out, and stop bothering you with my demands
for attention and love.
for your time as short now, as mine will be precious soon

honey

she will come running towards you
so softly her steps and her voice
will surround you, and as she leaves
she will have left your heart
happily swimming in honey
the little stubborn bunny.

team name

my soccer team was just forming
and we needed a name
to call ourselves during a game
so we did some thinking

we sat in a circle that day
and thought about rockets
and fast moving objects;
we made proposals, and I had my say.


but my teammates have chosen
among all pretty things
like ladybugs and butterfly wings
that we should call ourselves monsters

sounds a yucky and scary thing to be
but this is it - jinx
we can live and play like this strongly
my team of monsters and me

today

he though today is a day as good as any
to make peace with yourself
and get going wherever you are going
with high hopes you will land on your feet

the train rider has as always a newspaper
in hands, but he does not read it today
while waiting for the metro train
he just looks at strangers

some of them, like him, must come at the station
everyday of the week, but he cannot recognize any
although they do look vaguely familiar
since they're connected by a common goal

going somewhere, fast
he'd go anywhere where the sun is warm
and the mind is fresh ... while the metro music
sounds like many small steps

then they all get sucked
into a tunnel that only seems dark
by the noise and the roar, the train they got
will take them somewhere

whichever direction they take
they will get a chance to stand
with their backs straight, tall on their feet
possibly interact, while time ticks - fast.

but he'll step out of the train today
at a station out of the way to taste the passing of time
to look perhaps for simple things like water drops,
or the shape of clouds when the sun hides;

he thought of these and he got out in the rain,
under the anonymity of many umbrellas
he could sense the joy
the rain had brought to the city today.

he though today may be a day as good as any
to make peace with yourself
and get going wherever you are going
with high hopes you will land on your feet

curiosity

curiosity is a question itself
most people think it needs words
and it opens pathways to knowledge;
for some it only has fingers
and eyes, a general restlessness;
and it opens the mind to new games.

quote of the day

"involve me and I will learn!"

summer's school

open the windows wide, or better go out and play
while summer is here the kids of today
are free to go swimming in the pond,
splashing in the mud and that helps them grow strong

they build strength in their mind, strength in their body
they take a break from thinking just straight;
but they think laterally as well, they make connections
and choices (even mistakes) so the time they have is just swell.

and they play and they learn
a different lesson this season
that we need a bit of summer outside
to build a bit of sun on the inside

they were taught to play by the book
now they learn to play without rules
they are the makers, the breakers of rules
just the basic perhaps even this may be changing
summer is here, just the parents are only watching
perhaps the beauty in you, the change in the world
while you are busily playing,
and building tomorrow.
tomorrow

lessons in friendship

I've read Stan Toler's book - The Secret Blend. Let's see if I can remember the ten lessons in friendship:
1. like yourself or be a friend to yourself
2. if you want to have friends you have to be a friend
3. be a good listener (that's why you have two ears and only one mouth :))
4. encourage people
5. learn to forgive
6. it takes some good chemistry to make a relationship work (that part is slightly mysterious but you can influence a reaction right?)
7. bring out the best in people (that's a direct derivative of point 6).
8.
9.
10. teach others the first nine points :)

night and they

night and they
won't go to sleep,
morning comes
and they rise up.
one is ready to go
excited about
where the road
will take him today
(but I have to forgive him
cause not matter what
I have cooked or not
he's not having breakfast today
anyway).

one is ready to stay
five minutes longer in bed
and dreads the immplacable truth
that most any day
is a school or work day;
but when she's finally up
she wants for herself
a big fat omelet
that she'll always enjoy
while charging her
batteries with
the high voltage she needs
to burn everyday

like night and day
so lovely they
hang together and hug
before we all have to pack
lunchboxes and stuff
then I start the engine
and we're gone away from the house
for the day.

golden

---this one is for Misha---
she would sit close to me for hours
silently watching over me,
whether I was sick or healthy
with the same patience
and same dedication;
she would wait
for the touch of my hand
but mostly she would be
ready to give
calm reassurance
that everything should be
the way we want it to be;
oh how I wish she would be
here with me whenever I shiver
lonely and fearful
without my golden retriever.

walk

the man walked the gray street as if
there was nothing to do but soak in the sun
perhaps meet a friend at the corner bread store
share a story over a cup of coffee
but mostly just walk for the pleasure
of walking on his own two legs,
gently balancing his own free hands
raising his head in the sun
clearing his mind; but more importantly
he should for a while
forget all the talking, the problems
and plans, and just do the walking.

link of the day - top 50

the local food scene on a pedestal

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/multi/top-50-food-magazine

time

time is what you make of it!

round

take a few steps on the streets
where nothing unusual happens;
only the soccer the ball rolls
round as always between kids

soccer players dreaming of stars
or at least their autographs
they roll the ball, shoot and score
and nobody notices how they grow

their pants and shoes grow shorter
their torsos grow stronger;
they start having ideas
that they could go out and dance

as good friends they go out holding hands
making jokes about the cool guy on the block
and they grow, and they know
the team will scatter, as they will have to go


as they grow each will follow their way
the ball may well pass to the new kids
if the new times allow enough time to play
they should learn how to roll.

crepe myrtle

dressed in white
just like a bride,
holding in hand
a pink lacy drink,
purple with shame
for playing this game
in the hot summer wind
to make the bees come
getting drunk with the nectar
then leave well before
they are ready to sting
this crepe myrtle lady
may well be
the summer's favorite tree,

summer day

when the morning came with car roars dampened by dew
she was getting fresh water and coffee ready to brew;
the newspaper was ready to pop out of the mail box
before she could put on her glasses and sox;
a trip to the market was a high point of her day
at times letting herself attracted to the bakery
by the smell crossing her way;
with fresh bread and brioches in the bag,
back home came the lady before the high heat of midday.

Midday was slow, mildly boring, sometimes nothing more
than a transition towards a well deserved nap;
from which shed wake up looking out the window at the delicate lilac
ready to digest the news on TV, with cookies and tea, always close to the phone.

when the afternoon decided to shake the curtains and demand attention
she was playing cards by herself, chasing boredom with a wave of her hands,
waiting for friends to bring news from the town
like who got married, had babies, is still alive or recently gone?

when evening come, covering trees, streets and roofs with its shawl
loneliness dropped its shade as as well but she could still set her goal
on teaching her nieces an nephews, armed with a dictionary, and a sense of fun,
the vocabulary, accent and grammar in English, French, and occasionally German.


at night there was time for the colored TV to set the background tone
with a book in one hand, and a puzzle crossword in the other
she was lulled to gentle sleep, her mind never tired preparing to dream
the thoughts and the plans of a far away trip.

- buttons, lavender, coins

the memory of roses - Ti

My romanian aunt would use rose petals to make a jelly - or more something like the gliko toy koutaliou. She was not using just any kind of roses, but a very flavorful kind. I remember the color as mauve-pink but there may be other colors too. The sweet syrup was wonderfully flavorful and the petals squeaked when crushed by the teeth. The jars were stored in old unused brick heater (soba). Not for long cause they were gone after just a couple of 5 o clock coffee visits from her lady friends.
(i wrote this as a comment to Maria's blog, and thought I would keep it as a personal memory, thanks Maria for the occasion).

sharester

there was a time when art was flying freely
circling over the city she was, high in the sky
ready to cross any borders, rivers and oceans
and the children sung as if they had been promised
that they will be forever young

the children were sharing their music and getting curious
because of them the the artists were becoming famous
all over the world, their fame spreading by work of mouth
and mostly by means of web mediated sharing

as an artist I would be very very complemented
if my words wold now fly digitized via web
from node to node, from headphone to headphone,
from brain to brain - my words would spread

i would also probably be rather poor
cause there are no means to track
the happily bouncing digitized art
but then this had been always the case

for the practitioner and creator of art
were mostly poor but protected under the wings
of some rich art lover and patrons
expect that today we have agents and record companies

most shameful of that we have trials
to punish today the grown up children
of the sharester generation
but not enough judges who did not have a part

what is it fair I do not know
I just wish art could fly again from sould to soul
I wish I would be the wing to support art's free flight
with the unconstrained beat of my heart

child at heart

music now -

all his life he wanted to find out who he was
and the quest took so long he had to postpone growing up;
he tried many faces, he tried many voices
he danced between worlds, but he kept his own heart

through his big black eyes, and piercing voice
poured out imaginary creations of better but possible worlds;
golden images gathering love and hope from many years in the past
projected onto small screens were swung by his music
right into the hearts of so many teens
they danced on the streets and they dreamed
music translated in images, and they felt like golden felines
ready to jump on life's back - be it in harmony or conflict

but he had to grow up and this was somehow a sad, long postponed jump
into real life. why would one do it if he still feels
he is a child a heart. not knowing what to do this life's pump
stayed for a while in limbo and then suddenly stopped.

kids poured out on the streets, fit felines ready to shout
they wanted him back, they were ready to fight - but there was no one out,
reality was placid and mute and they only thing they could do
was remember and then somebody realized the best thing to do was to just sing out loud

music poured out on the streets like a river of light
forgiveness was throwing its shade on the asphalt
the chorus of people some old and some young
felt somehow like him - for a while allowing to be children at heart.

tabula rasa

a vacation is for the mind
like a wave is for the beach
an opportunity to get clean
peaceful and open wide
to a world of opportunity.
who knows how many sand dollars
and star fish are left behind
and need to be thrown back in the ocean
by a kid with a pail;
before is too late for them
to get lost for life
paying dearly for the sin
of exploring too much, too far
dangerously ignorant
of the passing of time.
deep down on the dark bottom
of the ocean they are given
another chance to refresh
to resurface if that is
what they really wish

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.

hope and virtue

"Hope and virtue" : keywords from the presidential inauguration discourse.
How does my memory compare with the computer generated analysis of the discourse?

prayer

photo courtesy of David Orias: photo.net/photos/orias
I pray that the skies will clear out
light will win against dark;
hope will grow
green shoots from healthy soil;
logic will prevail
love will stay strong, and patience
will heal;
while memory will preserve best
the sweet aspects of life.

poem of the day

Hope; An Owner’s Manual
By Barbara Kingsolver

Look, you might as well know, this thing
is going to take endless repair: rubber bands,
crazy glue, tapioca, the square of the hypotenuse.
Nineteenth century novels. Heartstrings, sunrise:
all of these are useful. Also, feathers.

To keep it humming, sometimes you have to stand
on an incline, where everything looks possible;
on the line you drew yourself. Or in
the grocery line, making faces at a toddler
secretly, over his mother’s shoulder.

You might have to pop the clutch and run
past all the evidence. Past everyone who is
laughing or praying for you. Definitely you don’t
want to go directly to jail, but still, here you go,
passing time, passing strange. Don’t pass this up.

In the worst of times, you will have to pass it off.
Park it and fly by the seat of your pants. With nothing
in the bank, you’ll still want to take the express.
Tiptoe past the dogs of the apocalypse that are sleeping
in the shade of your future. Pay at the window.
Pass your hope like a bad check.

importance

some people look important and rush
about their business
some people sit back and relax
at the same times;
who's right, who's wrong
I do not know;
there is a time for everything
if you try hard enough
probably;
keeping the balance
between important matters
urgent ones
and loved ones
matters
most