in the lowcountry

The fish jumped as if

Breaking the Olympic record

Was truly in sight

The little blue bird flew by

To inquire what was for dinner;

All this under the oversight

Of the old blue heron

Who was debating whether

sparing his efforts was worth it,

Or maybe he was just taking a nap.

swimming at sunset

 At first i have tried

to push the sunset away with my arms

and hang on to the daylight

even if all i could catch was its glimmer

in a mirror of water.

i watched as the mist was lifting 

the light from the flat level

I swam at, towards night.

But when i thought it was time to give up

the nEighbors switched on their light

and light was coming at me

from all directions, making connections

to a future that insisted

on being one way or another 

warm and still bright,

the mind as a river, or rock

 sometimes your mind is a rock

sometimes is a river

And i do not know if the river 

has shaped the rock;

or whether the rock has distracted the river

but what i know is that

i will stand with you

whether your mind stays strong as a rock

or flows with the river.

Message to a daughter

We come from a country of strong women

we have stored in our genes 

messages from the times of not forgotten wars

that if we can keep the house running

when the men are not home

we can keep the house running 

at all times.

Not that we want to be alone,

our loving hearts long to stay soft

and we cry at weddings and funerals.

Even when we are not close to each other

our shoulders are strengthened 

by the hugs of a circle of women

dancing with decisive steps

forwards and back when it's needed,

knowing that we will likely come back.

Walk in grace my daughter

this is my message of love,

knowing that you too can

carry the fire and water of life

seeking always the path towards light.

Every now and then this gipsy soul

Every now and then this gipsy soul

Tells me to get up and go

Leave to the past the shadows of old

Loves and wars

I do however always see you

Stoic and peaceful

In your old place of meditation and thoughts

And spin around

I come sit next to you on the ground

You tell me a story

You paint me a painting of a beautiful minute

I stay put

My arms are longing to lift you

And fly

From hurricanes or tornadoes

But your wisdom says

We’ll stay until they settle

to dust

My risky slopes

My risky slopes
Are ravaged by the winter winds
And only breakneck skiers
Dare to slalom down
Knowing that all that waits for them
When they have reached
The finish line are stories
Of warmer days of future
From the dreams of rhododendrons 
asleep under the snow
thinking they might be
Domestic stolen roses


No guard can protect you
Against this storm
Neither is there a reason to struggle
Aim to float and wait
For this shall pass and you will need
To use your energy and get ahead
Once you see light

Stone

Somebody left a mirror in the forest
By the side of the path,
And by the side of a stone
And people who passed
We’re attracted by the glimmering light
And came and sat on the stone and watched

Days, months and years passed
Over the mirror, and stone
And people gradually stopped
Noticing light, and rarely came
To sit on the stone

The stone thought it must have been
Getting old because it could hardly see anymore
How it looked in the mirror
But it could still hear and feel
Sound and touch, and the world
Started to look comparatively more sparkling and clear

The stone had turned once again
Outwards
It had no hands, no legs
No big desires and dreams
But it was there ready to help
Weary travelers rest, and regain
Their sense of direction by looking
Outside and not just at a reflection!

Night

The night is quiet and deep
And it is hard to extract
The promise of a luminous dream
To lull me to sleep

I must have seen you walk

I must have seen you walk
Solemnly down the center path
That Friday night
When spring had died

I must have heard your voice
And though I can’t be sure
Its sound could resonate
With the tormented ocean waves

Somehow the stirred up torments
Soothe the pain as the sopranos
Lift it from the chest, and then
The basses led the soul to rest

the promise says 
That travel Through the purifying hell
Shall not be long 
And life will rise on Sunday morning with the sun again

retreat

Pull back your roots,
and shiled the greenest shoots
this time allows for tenebers' expansion
outside the boundaries we thought we've built
and it's is hard to find solace and safety
so gather those you love close to the core, the home.
respect thE silence that still grows
the fear, but shElter deep the hope
AND wait for sunrise once again
Meanwhile stay shush and hide
it's time for just the silEnce of the night

random

do not forget that even if the night is deep
and the spaces between stars are vast
we are not alone in this universe
but our souls are cradled in a widespread net
of random love floating free,
that some of it is unconditional
and some of it is for you

(inspired by the moth radio show)

give

You can give everything you want to give
but do not let others take away kindness
or the warmth you feel when you look
at beautiful things and beautiful creatures;
do not forget there are treasured memories
and perhaps even richer ones to build.
do not burden yourself with anger,
for little things matter enough to take away joy,
as long as you have friends and love
and can give things and pieces of you away.

two colors

red and blue of love and hate
like rage and peace
sit at antithetic poles
of a wheel that broke the order
newton has assigned one day

even heartS are dual colored
As the flow must surely go
from the young blue blood  to the red
that has collected memories
from where it travels for the time that we are living

and though all this time the fleeing
thoughts of feelings go from highs to lows
and swinging, all the landscapes learned the singing
from the muds the water's rinsing
and repeating all the same emotions

Poisons; Marin Sorescu

Grass, mountains, waters, and sky

Have entered my bloodstream

And I am waiting for them

To take effect.

I feel i am starting

To turn green because of the grass.

That I’ve grown full of chasms

and I breath mists

because of the mountains.

With my feet I am rounding the edges of stones

When I walk on the road

And they ask me about the sea

Because of the waters

I feel that I’m turning

Seemingly blue, and unbounded

And that stars are sprinkling on my eyes

And the tips of my fingers.

wings

ready to grow, ready to fly ,
ready to become
who you want to be?
ready or not, give
receive; grace
and take flight

sand bags

was it you ?
who cut a hole on the bottom
of a tiny sand bag filled with love
and now it is pouring down
as fast at it fills up
on the beach
I bend down to fill up
this heart shaped bag
and you laugh
while the ocean cries tears
on the sand, which dries them out
and they all shine
traces of loves past
walking down this shore
with light heart
and who knows maybe with dreams
of common futures
or just the joy of the moment
and the new energy thew drew , as they should
from the old salt
while the ocean keeps waving
lifting our hopes for all of us

catch up my soul

recalcitrant to progress one may say
but all i think is that you have to pace yourself
take time to breath, and time for joy
sit down with friends and talk in peace
allowing to transcend the boundaries of time
and let your soul catch up and maybe
to align to where you want to go

black hole

look hard through the dark
and you will see the vastness of the night
look again and calculate your chances
to come out into the light
look long from different angles
and reverse the flight
just turn the universe with grace
as you would tune a sleeve from inside out
and shine your corollary smile
that burns just like a ring of fire
at the edge of the wide mouth
that has sucked ALL pain and struggle
All the matter it has known in the immensity
that is to all Unknown

the truth

The truth is important to me;
is it important to you?
or will you let 
youR anger shaped thoughts
Build it for you ?

Because of your strong and Sheer Will
You Hear them Ring true,
But SHOULD you make others 
believe in them too?

And Why would you harm
the green shoots 
Do think it is Not hard  Enough
to grow in the shade of tall trees?

let the river Feed new and old roots
Its waters are enough for All trees 
together they will strengthen
The paths for the footsteps leading to truth

green

Shoot green circles
in bubbles of songs
grow tall as a tree
quick as the grass
learn your path
be curious
and love every day
all the light
all the sound
all the peace

With a smile and a nudge

With a smile and a nudge 

With your hand you reached out

And together we have crossed

To the other side of fear

With joy we had started 

Planting the orchard 

That would turn wild fruits

Into foods for the free souls

And now how could you ask

If I am willing to cross back

Have patience, Don’t you see

How busy I am being free?

stars after rain

You have rained
a lot of love on my soul
and it is time for me to wave back
so i will rise from the ocean
to clear the clouds
and i will fly
until i find a tall pine
by the beach
and i will hang from it the big dipper
and i will make it drip from its pan
star by star glittering light
to sooth your sleep
and make it birth dreams

model

You are my model

And in my mind 

i have shaped you like a sphere 

There are no sharp edges

Or abrupt corners

No surprises

Just smooth perfection

the incredible

-after Marin Sorescu

I have touched the incredible

Then I moved in with him

And I  am barely comfortable 

With the thought

Because I have only

Gotten to know him at the surface 

And the surface is a thin

Thin layer of ice 

On which I am skating

But the incredible

Is also beautiful 

Like an exquisite bulb 

Made from oh so many 

thin layers

And I am reaching out

Trying to touch

It’s fiery core

Knowing that 

This too would be just

The beginning 

Of many more 

Incredible layers

--and a more faithful translation from Catalin Florea

The Incredible

I have touched the incredible
And I moved into it,
Somewhat.

But this is only the surface.
The pellicle.

There are many levels 
Of incredible.
(That's why you cannot believe it)
Like the many layers
That make a bulb.

And the fiery center of the incredible
The core, the pith
The unbelievable of the unbelievable
It is also just a beginning.
The surface layer,
The pellicle...

And so on.

i have blindfolded the trees (marin sorescu)

I have tied a green scarf Over the trees eyes I hid and told them to find me They found me immediately With their leafs happy and giggly. I have tied a scarf made of clouds Over the birds eyes And they found me With their songs, I have tied sadness’s eyes With a smile And it took her but a day to find me in love. Then I tried to tie the sun’s eyes with my nights. Stop hiding he said I know where you are Right now and in time. Stop hiding repeated The chorus made up Of all thing and all feelings I had been trying to tie With scarves over their eyes.