You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November 2013.
People fly high, and go far;
people drive for hours and go for miles;
home can be two very different places at once-
the place where you come from,
the place you return to every night in your car,
that feels like the place you knew when you were a child.
Family is what you are born into,
family is what you feel a part of
with some of the people you meet-
the friends that you make and keep,
who you are bound to always by a power greater than fate,
who can live a mile away, five minutes up the road;
or three thousand miles away on another continent,
in another time-zone, but who never fail to be there for you,
and to brighten your day with how they make you feel,
and with what they say, that always makes you smile.
There is something amazing that draws us together;
there is a meeting of hearts and minds that always happens
that is so much more than being in the right place
at the right time;
there is a love, a passion, that feels different,
but which always feels comfortable
every time you come back to it, like old leather;
there is a rhythm that already exists,
which you can’t teach, which grows in strength,
and can be used to get where you need to go, like a vine.
I love the thought, and I love the experience
of sitting down with someone I know over a meal,
for coffee, online, or on the phone;
I love the vibe, and I love the energy that intoxicates me
and permeates through the air, that opens up every pore of me-
like walking down a country road,
in the warm sun, in the middle of the afternoon;
I love the happiness,
I love the enjoyment of being myself with someone else
who understands me, and with whom it doesn’t matter how much you say,
it just feels effortless-
like watching the tide come in and out on a sandy beach,
that you can smell, taste, hear, and look at for hours,
and feel content- because you were meant to be there.
A family meal;
a coming together that might only happen once a year,
and then only for a few hours-
can leave an impression on you and on everyone,
and revitalize you when you need that boost
and that burst of energy- like sunlight to a flower.
It’s important to make the time to be there for those who need you.
You forget how much a message or a phone call
can be the difference between someone knowing and realizing
their own self-worth.
It’s important to keep doing the things that you always do.
You forget sometimes that your presence in someone’s day or year
can be the best thing in the world for someone-
because they think of you, and have always thought of you,
as one of the most amazing wonderful people on Earth.
I think everything is worth sharing.
I think anything that you create with someone
is worth telling the world about
and repeating the meaning of what has been said.
I think that there is no better time to put problems behind you,
to make up for the time that has been lost,
and make a fresh start, than to sit down and break some bread.
It all starts with our parents;
it all begins with the role-models that we choose early on;
it all grows from the first seed sewn
in the soft ground of our early years
when we are soaking in everything that we see,
and asking what it all meant;
it all falls into place when we hear something
and understand something for the first time, instantly,
and we take it to another level in our mind
until we can no longer contain what we know,
and we feel the need to pass all that we have learned
and the knowledge that we have accumulated on to someone else,
and perhaps even to a completely new and inquisitive generation.
People say that teaching is in the blood,
and I would have to agree;
but I don’t necessarily believe you have to be a teacher
in a school to educate another person-
to me, you have to have the insight and the gift
to show and to make someone, anyone, understand,
and imagine something that before they met you
they were unable or not yet ready to see.
Everyone can be taught;
however, their are some people who don’t want to learn.
The best teacher, the most inspirational
and amazing of guides of knowledge and life
can teach you something without you knowing-
they can encourage you to raise your hand
without you feeling that you have to wait your turn,
they can give you lessons to learn and live by
that you will remember always,
and to you will forever be a blessing.
We all have come to a time in our lives,
when we must take a step back again
and watch while someone who knows more about something than us
has to teach us so that we may better ourselves
for our own benefit, and that of someone we may never know,
or ever meet;
we all feel a great sense of pride in ourselves,
and in our teachers, when we then communicate that wisdom
and enlightenment and see with our own eyes
the moment when a open-minded and willing student
finally raises their head and says ‘I understand’-
for a teacher it just does not get any better than that.
I have been a student, and I have been a teacher.
I will always be the one who seeks out new knowledge,
and I will want to pass the torch of what I hold in my grasp,
even if it is just to one other person at a time,
but with the impact, the energy, the influence,
and the resonance of a public speaker.
We can all be the one who is there
to inspire the mind of someone else;
we can all be the one who is living the dream,
but who is also there to spark the imagination of a fellow dreamer;
we can all be the one who is keeping alive the fire of enthusiasm
in such a way it could never be doused;
we can all be the one who is both the pupil,
while at the same time they are the teacher.
We all have our own personal rituals;
we all have our own unique quirks
that have meaning for us which we repeat,
because they give our lives balance,
because they connect the dots in our mind
to where we need to be;
we all have our own habits and routines
that are seemingly monumentally crucial;
we all have our own ways of being
that say to the world ‘this is me’.
Some people can’t think straight, nor concentrate,
without their first cup of tea or coffee every morning;
some people feel lost and unable to function
if they don’t have that first sight of the sun,
that sings to them with the power and the voice,
and the music of their favourite artist or band performing.
Some people find it hard to get out of bed
without having something out of their reach
to take a necessary, vital, step towards;
some people feel at their best when everything makes perfect sense,
because everything we see and feel conforms
to the structures of perfection and bliss that we know,
which we take the time to build and keep standing every day
like a house of cards.
Familiarity is very important.
Our trust in what we know works for us every time
is something we hold on to tight-
walking the same route that we know,
wearing the same clothes that we feel comfortable in,
going to the same places over and over again
that like a ghost we regularly haunt,
becomes not just something that we do, but a way of life.
It is fascinating to observe, and to see in my own reflection,
what we all do, and why.
I love glimpsing a idiosyncrasy that I have never seen before-
whether it is one of someone I have never met,
or one of my own that I couldn’t hide, disguise,
or say I do not do it for a reason, because that would be a lie.
Some rituals are hereditary-
passed on from father to daughter, or from mother to son;
some daily routines of ours are like rites of passage for us,
and feel more to us than a simple custom.
Some rituals come slowly to us and grow naturally with us,
and are things that we look forward to doing-
like sitting in a coffee shop writing,
or going to the cinema to watch a movie,
or returning to our favourite shops,
or going back to the places where we have the strongest memories
and the happiest of recollections,
or eating your favourite meal at your favourite restaurant
at your favourite table, with your favourite people,
or going to a concert to listen to your favourite music.
Rituals are a daily prescription for everyone,
rituals are our key to deciphering
the finer details of life’s blueprint,
rituals are what people sometimes remember us by the most-
like a part of our aura that stays with people,
like a characteristic residual.
Rituals are what makes us human.
Rituals are there always in everything and everyone.
Their is no one alive now that I know and see
every second of every day who doesn’t have a ritual.
The most natural need of everyone on this planet
is to better themselves;
the most amazing feeling you can have
is that of achieving something;
the most phenomenal day of your life
is when you look around, look forward,
and look back on what you have done,
and you can feel light-headed and heavy-hearted,
and you can genuinely and unashamedly feel so proud of yourself;
when the most life-changing moment of your life-
a moment that feels perfect in every way,
and in every detail and sensation-
comes, and you realize its arrival,
it is like the moment when you know that you have met
the one person you want to be with for the rest of your life,
and share every day of their life with them,
and one day wear their ring.
In life, we never stop learning.
In our mind, we never stop thinking.
With our emotions, we never stop feeling.
With our best intentions, we never stop dreaming, believing-
its all a part of the great gift that is called ‘living’
Everyone is a student of life.
Every baby born right this minute,
every child taking their first step
on their two feet for the first time,
every boy and girl falling in love with each other
and sharing their first kiss;
every man and woman whose love has come together
in the most amazing, incredible, and wonderful way their is,
and they discover they are going to become the parents
of a beautiful child-
everybody, everyday, experiences something that,
if they are very lucky, will inform every hour that follows,
and if they have a dream that they are working towards
and making a reality in every thing that they do,
their lives will be rich like no other,
and every instant will be one that they don’t want to miss.
Today is graduation day for so many people-
even for those who never went to college or university.
Today is graduation day for anyone who reached a goal,
or made something that is uniquely theirs,
that is something you can stare at and remember
how you got to where you are-
like a diploma, or a certificate, or a driving license,
or an application approval letter, or a baby-
something that wouldn’t exist without you
that was worth everything that you had to put into it,
that you marvel at every second, and is so beautiful.
Today is graduation day for everyone who started somewhere
with something, but who wants more,
who is driven in some way to do and to find their way,
and their ultimate reason for living,
on the endless and infinite path of their destiny.
Every day, every one of us can achieve something
that will blaze a trail that will light our future,
and be a beacon for others to follow, and achieve something
epic, amazing, magical, of their own when the time is right
for them to shine and use the gifts that they were born with,
but which just needs to be harnessed, mentored, and molded,
and given every support and encouragement;
because that will be everything that they need to do
all that they need to go above and beyond
their original motivation,
and become and realize that they and anyone can achieve anything.
Everyone, no matter who they are, where they are,
what they are doing, where they have come from,
where they are going, can have their own day of graduation.
Moving on.
Putting the past behind me.
Thinking about the future.
No regrets.
Feeling hopeful.
Feeling human.
The bouquet of flowers is still in the hotel room,
where it will forever stay.
The moment we left it there and walked away,
what we had was gone, what we built,
and once were able to keep afloat
and sail the waves of uncertainty
was lost at sea-
even though there was a time for us both
that we looked at each other and said we were sure.
What we had was doomed to fail from the first minute,
and it instantly spiraled out of our control,
until we both knew our future together was uncertain.
Everything was good, until it wasn’t.
We could say anything to each other, until we couldn’t.
I never wanted it to end this way, ever-
not in my darkest and intense of nightmares;
I never wanted to feel such pain, ever-
not in the darkest hours of my despair.
This is my way of moving forward.
This is my way of stranding the bad memories that I have,
forgetting about them, leaving them, and sailing away.
This is my way of being rid of the poison in my heart,
and being cured.
This is my way of closing the door for the last time,
and leaving behind forever the forgotten bouquet.
I wonder how many people leave their house and home these days
every morning without a plan or a roadmap
of what they are going to do;
I wonder how many people embrace
the not knowing what is going to happen;
I wonder how many people are truly free to think,
stop talking, look, and listen;
I wonder how many people are truly able
to stay in one spot and not move.
I am lucky to be able to do just that,
I am lucky to be able to sit back and relax
with a coffee in a comfy chair, like I am doing now,
looking out, and thinking about so many things-
I know not what-
and just writing something, anything,
whatever is on my mind, and what I see-
wanting to say what I can’t say outloud.
People love to express themselves so much,
people love to talk and share more than they realize,
people can’t wait to divulge,
people can’t wait to tell someone something face to face-
it’s written all over their expressions,
and you can tell that they have been desperate to disclose
their inner thoughts and opinions,
from the twinkle that you see in their eyes.
I don’t mean to be a watcher, and an observer of other people
just going about their daily lives;
I don’t mean to be a magpie of the interesting things
that I hear people say-
the chat of friends meeting up after a long while,
the back and forth of boyfriends, girlfriends,
husbands, and wives;
but I am always fascinated and entranced
by the stories of everyone I briefly come into contact with-
while I just sit there, drink,
take out my notebook, and think;
but I don’t think people truly realize how much they give.
I do this a lot, actually.
Every week I find myself at my favourite coffee house,
and I write about what is on my mind-
what I am feeling, and I am always asking a question of myself,
as I talk at the top of my voice
in the language of poetry,
because some things, I have discovered, cannot be said
without first finding the words and the means
to say what you want to say,
without the feeling of being limited in any way, or confined.
This poem, like most of my poems,
is a memory, a time-capsule,
a black and white fraction of time,
that was a part of my day, today.
This poem, like most of my poems,
is, and was, just a musing, a burst of inspiration,
and creativity, that I wanted to share,
and write, right away.
When I look around the world
and I see what is happening every day on our planet,
when I see the unstoppable, relentless, powerful,
and sometimes destructive, influence, and life-changing effect
of Earth’s nature on itself and on those who inhabit it;
I cannot believe my eyes,
I cannot fathom how it must feel to be incapable
of doing anything but hold on and watch
as everything you rely on and have ever known
is taken away from you in the blink of an eye-
it is a shock and a pain that no one could ever disguise.
Even I, from the safety and security of my home,
cannot help but be effected by the sight of those people
on my television who had everything,
but who now may be so close to having nothing but the gift of life.
Seeing such sadness and loss is overwhelming
and enough to make me want to cry.
Like most people, I sit, and watch,
and I feel helpless, because I cannot do anything
to change what I am seeing.
Like most people who feel the loss of anyone’s family member,
as if they were one of their own, my own,
I am mindful, and I look around at my own life,
and I thank my lucky stars for what I have and treasure-
and I immediately want to check on my own family and friends’
well-being.
Nature gives, and nature takes away,
but what we can never lose for good
is what keeps us standing every day.
Earth blesses us, and Earth teaches us.
Earth tells us everyday to value what is most important
and savour every second,
to take your time with anything that will stand the test of time,
and adapt as best as you can to the trials of nature,
because life should not be something
you should ever take for granted, wish away, or rush.
When I look around at my world,
and at the faces of the people who are important to me,
who I couldn’t live without in my life,
who make my life what it is, who I love,
care about, would die to protect, and who I adore,
I know that the best of them will always endure.
When I look around at the world and its people,
I am lost for words to describe the meaning of why things happen,
and I am in awe and breathless at people’s strength of will
and fortitude of spirit that is at the heart of their nature.
It’s so important to never forget.
One of the greatest things we can do in life is remember.
It’s a gift to be able to hold on to the memory
of somebody special that you know like a brother, or a sister,
or even the face and the legacy of someone you never even met.
You need to hurt and feel pain
before you can try to make sense of any loss,
and over time that intense maelstrom of emotion
will transform and again remind you why every day of life,
and the lengths that we sometimes have to go in life,
are significant and essential beyond measure.
Everyone needs time to close their eyes,
take a breath, and refocus,
and even though when we do lose someone before their time
we do need to mourn them,
and we should all look for the signs
that they are indeed still around in some form, or another-
because a soul is the purest and the most amazing energy there is,
and the same energy that created and sustains the universe
every second, and which cannot be forgotten, or destroyed, ever.
Life is like a library,
and every person, plant, animal, thought, invention, and memory,
is a book and a source of reference in that library
that we can all choose to read and reread if we feel the need.
So much happens for so many reasons that we will never understand,
but that is why we have to appreciate every face, every cover,
every name, every page, every addition, every edition,
of every life that is born, written, lives-
because everything is a thing of beauty,
and no matter how you may feel sometimes,
you and the world can only go in one direction,
and if you are truly open to the constantly changing
and evolving twists and turns that everyone faces
you will knowingly fulfill the potential of your life,
and all life, and when in the possession of such knowledge
there is no knowing where the road of your life will lead.
Every time I see you
you take my breath away,
every day I talk to you
you fascinate me with something I have never heard,
every time I learn something new about you
I can’t stop myself from smiling for days,
every day I need to have you at the other end of the phone line,
because when it comes to hearing from you I hang on every word.
You have the most amazing style,
you have the most incredible taste,
you have the most stunning and gorgeous eyes
to go with the most beautiful smile,
you are everything any man could ever dream about finding in a woman,
and every day I stare at your picture to remind me
how phenomenal you are, how wonderful in every way you are,
and not a figment of my imagination, or a dream,
and I marvel at everything about you that comes to mind-
from your amazing stories about the places you have been,
to the incredible people who you have known throughout your life
who every day still talk to you and influence you,
and keep that unbelievable smile fixed upon your face.
When you walk into a room people turn their heads
and instantly gravitate towards you,
when you take an interest in someone, or something,
people follow your line of sight and they know instantly
that whatever it is it is definitely worth their while,
when you say something people know without any doubt
that what you are saying could not be more true,
when you put your heart, imagination, and soul into something,
everyone knows it means something special and important to you,
and every step that came into making it was worth every mile.
I love how you make me feel.
I love how for everything you receive
you give back a hundred times.
I love how you make my thoughts flash
with the energy and colour of a firework
exploding against a black sky,
and spin and spark my dreams with the ferocity
of a Catherine wheel.
I love and I live for how much there is about you
that will forever be unique to you alone-
a beauty, a divinity, the serenity of a goddess,
a wildness of an inner tigress that can’t ever be confined.
Your eyes shine brighter and more brilliantly
than all the stars and planets in the universe,
you are truly the most beautiful and stunning woman
in the entire world,
you make me better and at peace as if I were your patient
and you were my nurse.
You are like no one else,
there will never be anyone else like you,
and I love you my cosmopolitan girl.
That feeling in your stomach is unmistakable,
that pounding in your chest is hard to stop,
that cloud between your ears is slow to clear,
but when you finally arrive and start your job
on your first day it doesn’t take long
to find your feet and feel comfortable-
whether your job is in an office,
in a restaurant, in a factory,
at an airport, on your feet, behind a desk,
or being their to help and assist
lots of different customers in a shop,
it doesn’t take long for your natural gifts to take over
and for all the butterflies that have been fluttering
in your stomach to disappear.
You never forget the first day of your first job,
you never forget how much that first day
becomes a blur of many different emotions
that if you let them all get the better of you
it wont take you long to say you are never going to learn
all that you have been taught and told,
and you will probably even want to go to a corner and sob;
but if you don’t do that, if you don’t give up
even after making the first ten of the many
natural and necessary mistakes that you and everyone always make,
the more you will gain confidence and feel at-ease
in what you are doing, and in your own abilities,
and you will come to the conclusion
that what at first you thought was hard
and incapable of being learned
is actually a piece of cake.
The more you do something the more it becomes second-nature to you,
the more you work at what you know, the more comfortable you become,
and every time you start back at work after a day off
it will be like stepping back into an old pair of shoes.
For some people their first job is the job they have always wanted;
for some people, especially those who have just left school,
their first job is just the first step up a hill
to where they are supposed to be;
for some people their first job is their passion
and the thing that they do that they love
and have dreamed about doing since they were a kid;
for some people their first job is but the seed
that will one day grow and bare the fruit that will never stop
providing for their family, and feed all the branches that stem
and grow from you into your life’s tree.
Your first day of school is always the day you want to forget;
your first day of college or university
goes by so fast and you may not remember it all,
because your mind feels like it is traveling
at a thousand miles an hour in a supersonic jet;
your first day of work is like you are acting out
and saying the lines of an actor in a play;
your first day is the day you should try your hardest to remember,
because it can only get better afterwards-
so remember, your best day, in whatever it is that you do,
is always going to be your first day.
The Life, the Light, the Tears, of the Poet of the Sphere 