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.