Sunday, October 25, 2015

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


Sunday, October 11, 2015

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.