Stepping aside

When entrenched in one’s own ways

Embedded in stone becomes no ordinary phrase

When the mind turns into a fossil

Fixed ideas are difficult to jostle

There’s a constant fight for success

Bringing along unwarranted stress

As one braves through battle fatigue

All in the name of prestige

A lowly stone can outlive us

Why do we make such a fuss?

When it is time to step aside

And take defeat in stride

Two degrees

The earth’s the only known paradise, don’t get me wrong

But we have mortgaged our future for a song

They say we are only two degrees from hell

A generation to come will have to ring that bell

Warming hearts did not cause that mess

Neither the poor, for whom coal fires bring bliss

It’s easy to speak from a rich man’s cave

But that isn’t the hallmark of the brave

What on earth got us here?

The answer isn’t what one would like to hear

Fire in the mind rivals that of the sun

In the heat of the moment, great damage is done

Miser's quandary

There is universal guilt

Of miserly thoughts, sludging the mind like silt

There isn’t a machine that can dredge

The mind may be freed, if all thoughts sign a pledge

Of giving back, not just in kind

What’s stored within must unwind

Best if it is measured

As one lets go of what was once treasured

From a mind that celebrates hoarding

Forgetting, until it is replayed as a recording

The spool isn’t always spliced right

Making it a confusing sight

Refugee

Escaping the tyranny in Syria

Inching towards lands far north of Iberia

Is a great exodus of humanity

Not seen since last century’s calamity

Mankind is capable of great love

And being a symbol of peace, like the dove

Why this change of heart?

The very fabric of life gets torn apart

Tattered clothing a refugee's sole possession

Mist from the sea, the only means to freshen

Tired are the limbs and shattered are the hopes

Peace is non existent, bound in ropes

Looking through a waterfall

The crushing weight of a waterfall

Creates an impenetrable wall

As mist gushes to meet the sky

The landscape becomes a feast for the eye

Every waterfall holds its own secret

Hiding caves that may be sacred

Seen only by those who can brave a dangerous cliff

When eyes close, one gets a whiff

But that vision’s blurry

What’s unseen leads to worry

A sedate river becomes a gushing curtain

Chipping away at rocks, slow but certain

Tango in the pampas

Home of the gaucho

The lords of that vast green meadow

Between the mighty Andes and the southern ocean

Dancing air currents bridge a connection

Carrying floating balls of vapor

Dousing the Argentine pampas in seasonal downpour

Sun drenched gauchos make most of it

Leading a life of toughness and grit

Homemade hats, like the northerner’s Stetson

Completes the working garb, not worn for fun

With the blanket of ozone pockmarked, sun has to be kept at bay

A hardy life, repeating every day

The march

Marching with a mind full of our creations

Sourced from unbridled temptations

The earth has never been so overrun

By humans who have failed to overcome

Even the simplest test

To put the mind at rest

Consciousness has morphed, like a bee

That has lost its taste for nectar from the inner tree

The hive’s hidden within

Right under our own skin

It may seem natural for thoughts to fly

But quickly shedding wings under the gaze of the inner eye

The hotel

Tales yet to unfold

May have already been told

Through drizzles at the back of the eyelids

That have come in long forgotten dribs

Involved in farcical fights

That keep out grander lights

Lost in the appeal of the real

Missing the gifts from the realm of the surreal

Not that of dreams, they are unsparing

Enticing us with images that may have little bearing

On the true state of affairs

Of what it’s really like upstairs

Soot free mind

Remaining high above the soot

That swirls within one’s caput

Secrecy is finally lifted

Showing how far one’s eyes may have drifted

From the tapestry’s intended design

It isn’t a suffocating confine

Like an entombed mind

The lot of the ignorant among mankind

The wings keeping happiness aloft

Don’t need to flap when the mind’s empty and soft

Such a mind is of breathtaking beauty

Unlike the one burning with desire, which makes it sooty

Smile for ever

A smile may be etched forever

Mona Lisa need not be the only bearer

It isn’t only the rich who are entitled to a smile

It reflects off every mind that is not vile

The smile of contentment

Is a symbol of atonement

There are endless bargains to be had

But walking away would not be so bad

The light hearted are like minded

Without need to be constantly reminded

A smile doesn’t cost a penny

Hearts gladdened by it are many

Remembrance

Blessed with remembrance

It’s not meant only for bodily sustenance

To live in this room with an open roof

One need not look very hard for proof

Just out of sight beyond the horizon

Lives the enlightened mind, not limited to the wizened

From there the fluff of youth springs up

Cushioning the hard stirrups

That lock the feet in place

Which are bounced around as fate heats up the pace

Remembrance becomes the guide

Moistening memories that have long since dried

Inner space

Coming from a grander space

In spite of being a make believe place

The story being told appears all too real

A compelling narrative with great appeal

Enacted on many stages

Great dramas have survived the dark ages

When forests were greener

And the air cleaner

The hidden grace has remained unchanged

Even as the worldly order has been rearranged

The occident has taken precedence

Imposing a new order of democratic gentleness

Guiding light

Somewhere within there is a guiding light

Without which mankind is destined for eternal fright

Living in a darkness of our own making

No one can pinpoint it’s beginning

All the boundaries we know

Is what we ultimately bestow

On the innocent, of the future

Who unwittingly become the suitor

Taking it as a gift

Not knowing it’s potential to cause a rift

We’ve seen the myth of the wall

Shattered, like the one in Berlin was made to fall

A silent mind

Dark thoughts lurk underneath the surface

It’s hard to investigate, when we’re involved in this circus

Hypnotized by charming sights and sounds

In the end, making us look like clowns

Who have commanded the stage

But wasted opportunities in this golden age

To witness the rise of the mind

Into the status of the silent and refined

Without pockets full of poison

Those in power would not be so brazen

Trampling on other’s rights

Leaving the rest to clean up after messy fights

Training the mind - 18

The masterkey of thought

Easily overcomes its binding knots

The choice of earth or heaven ends

When there is no more a fork in the road

We are all interconnected in one way or another. Everyone lives off the same life giving air. Our bodies are very similar in their composition and structure. This earth is the only place in the cosmos we can call home. We all have in common feelings of love, generosity, compassion, happiness watching others succeed etc. These contrast with coexisting feelings of hate, greed, anger, jealousy, envy etc. that we also harbor. These are the basic flavors in the mind. Thoughts by themselves are bland, but by adding in these flavors, some become palatable and others not so. Unlike food, which we can choose whether or not we want to eat, thoughts are already within ourselves, and if some of them are not what we want, we cannot easily get rid of them. Everyone is playing the game of cat and mouse with their thoughts. Chasing the ones that are appealing and trying to run away from the ones that create a sense of unease in the mind. There is very little time or energy left for new ideas that may change how we live for the better. New discoveries demand a quiet mind that is full of energy.