Running running
So hard to keep  up
With life
Ever going
Always doing
This way and that
Filling in gaps
Busy schedule
Have to go
Have to do
Have to
STOP
And smell
The roses

I know I have a right
To be alive
I cry to the Universe
I have a right
A God given right
To be alive
I’ve earned that right
By
Staying alive
Through all the abuse
And
Unwantedness
And now
I have to
Scream to the Universe
To allow me
To live

Isn’t it strange
That in order
To live our lives
We need to
Become a witness
To our actions
We need to weigh
What we are doing
With our
Ethical compass
We need to understand
What to expect of ourselves
On a
Daily basis
And to filter out
Our excesses
And keep
Our Good

I used to look at money as the root of all evil
I used to look at money as a debt I could not pay
I marveled at how others could keep their books in order
My money used to travel, in my pocket it couldn’t stay
I tried to think of money as a bartering of sorts
I tried to call it friend and to understand its source
Money has a way of speaking I couldn’t understand
I failed to understand its movement and its course
And then one day a teacher said to put it in my mouth
That ***** crumbled paper cloth with print upon its face
I could not would not take that ***** bill from hand to mouth
I would not put it in my mouth myself to now debase
Most money comes from hard work from a job or from a place
It travels through the land from hand to hand from face to face
Money is just a way of saying you’ve earned like most adults
Money is a way of keep people in their place
Countries play with currency with values high and low
Stock brokerage and Wall Street keep our money at a tow
We have no way of knowing if it’s up or if it’s down
We have to learn to pay at source with money from the crown
They play with percentages and valuations infatuation and in flux
Countries loan it out and scream pay back when it’s really only bucks
I want to understand the silliness of paper and coin
I want to shout out stop it when the countries then conjoin
To hold it is to waste it and to spend it then it’s gone
What way is there to understand its brightness and its brawn
So money I will place you in the world not understood
I’d like to give you value if only then I could

Oh whoa to he
Who shocks the system
And does what is
Against his better knowing
He who tests the limits
And gets gobsmacked
By the Universe
For trying out
And acting on
His limited senses
Mind takes us under its wing
And tries to
Steer us away
From our Higher Knowing
And
Until we befriend the mind
We will get
No where
Our destiny is
To know ourselves
And to know God
And we only get there
By
Sitting in Silence

In my body sits unrest
A gathering of hurricanes
And volcanoes and tornadoes
Wanting to express
And
Deep within myself
There is hope
For a better world
And I sit in the mire
Of
Both

I awoke
To the smell of
Rotting fetid stinky
Food
Left over and rancid
And I wondered
When we get forgotten
Will we
Smell bad
Too

God is that part of ourselves
That reflects the Universe
And guides us
To our Destiny
God is the part of ourselves
That contains unconditional Love
And caring and compassion
Who is always there
To hold us
And guide us
And love us
Like an exceptional parent who never leaves our side
God
The one part of ourselves
That we are always searching for
And can only find
Inside of
Ourselves

Death
Is like a passing
From one stage of life
To another
Like a shedding
Of an outside layer
And a recognition
Of our true selves

Death
Is a letting go
Of one world
And a birth
Into another
It’s a coming of age
And a passing through
With a recognizance
Of what used to be

Death
Is a coming together
Of who we were
With who we have become
And a conglomeration
Of both
A passage
Into a new stage
With a recognition
Of what used to be

Death
Takes us from
The here
To the after life
And beyond

Death
A welcoming
Remembrance

Deep within me
Is a hunger
A lust for life
An inability
To accept anything
Less than
Love
I stand
At the doorway
Of coming of age
And wonder
Why love
True love
Seems to elude me
I long for the permanence of life love
And
The only One I can get that from
Is
God

This is
Just the way
It is
And I truly
Have no say
In
The outcome

Oh my oh dear what should I do
I cannot find my other shoe
The time is getting later and
I need to take a firmer stand
On getting myself some discipline
I need to work on singleton
The voices in my head tell me
The way they think I need to be
But they are voices from the past
And it’s not so healthy if they last
First I thank them for their work
If I didn’t they’d know that I’m a ****
Then I tell them it’s ok
For them to take a rest and play
I can handle all my stuff
It really shouldn’t be so tough
It’s time an adult I must be
If I want to reach my joy and glee
Take charge of all the things I am
An authentic self and not a sham
So I pull up my boot straps and get right to it
Become more involved get healthy and fit
And clean up the place put things in order
Like I truly live here I’m not a border
Things have a place so find them I can
Become a responsible woman or man

Life is about change
Acceptance of who we are
At every life stage

I think
I’m finally coming
To the end
Of my
Streams
Of thought
Finally breathing
Normally
Again
Finally able
To just
Be
In
The
Stillness
Ahhhhh …

I know a place
Where I can go
When I’m feeling lonely
When I’m feeling low
It’s a place inside
Where I can hide
Collect myself
To be by my side
The place inside
Is warm and unique
I love to go there
You can take a peek
My safe place gives me
The time to reflect
To look at my life
And see the affect
I know I am special
I am one of a kind
I love to be in
This space in my mind
And when I come out
The world seems to  be better
And I slowly become
A loving trend setter
So watch me and learn
What I have done before
For I am woman
You can hear me roar

What can be better
Than a cup full of tea
Brimming with cream
And slathered with honey
What could be better
Than a sconce slathered with butter
And a jam full of berries
On a plate warm from the oven
What can be better
Than a breathe through a nose that was blocked
Or a beating heart that was once stilled
How can we be better?
Gratitude for all

Our body truly is a gift
Given from above
Without it we’d be stuck in place
And would find it hard to love
We need to keep this body of ours
In shape and feeling healthy
We need to eat well and exercise
In order to feel wealthy
Sometimes we may feel tired
And not feel like moving so
We need to push right past that block
Allow our energy to flow
We need to keep on wanting health
Our body is so keen
We need to feel we’re worthy
And feel good about being seen
We also need to exercise mind
And our soul shouldn’t be forgotten
Eat well, exercise and meditate
So we aren’t feeling rotten
If we bring our mind, body and soul
Into alignment, into balance
We’ll know we’ve done all we can do
Not fallen into nonchalance
So keep in mind these simple words
Look good, feel good, be good
And do whatever you can do
As you already know you should

God’s love came knocking at my door
And I let him in
He taught me truth
And he taught me
About be ing in  the world
He guided my life
And kept me safe
He showed me the meaning of life
And how to live
In a world of
Anger and deceit
He showed me the way
To enlightenment
And
Kept me on
The straight and narrow
He allowed me just enough space
To hang myself
And then
He brought me lovingly back
To reality and purpose
I thought
That I had found God
When, in reality
He had found me

When I think of poetry
I think of some words
That tend to give picture
To thoughts
I think of the ways
To express all our dreams
It’s just like the game
Dot to dot
We begin with one word
Or a phrase we think of
And try to expand
What we see
We think of the rhymes
And the cadence of voice
Bringing colour
To all that we be
But some in this group
Seem to think that a word
Or two is enough as a dome
I don’t understand how
A daily expression
Can be justifiably
Thought of as poem
There are many different kinds
Of poetry expression
Some rhyme
Others just chain of thought
There should be some forethought
Some real inspiration
Put into this game
That we’ve bought
I would like to think that
Our poets out there
Can truly express
What they see
So please take the time
To make poetry your aim
Give thought to the process
That be
Bring us all to tears
And great jubilation
Speak out
Use the words now at hand
Poetry is our expression
Of life as we see it
Use words well
Speak out to the land

Sometimes poems
Come out of nowhere
And the words just flow
Without
Any effort
Sometimes
My mind wants to express
Its experience
And to let the world know
That I am here
Body mind soul
Sometimes
I wonder
Where I get the strength to move on
To keep going
In the face of adversity
And it is then
That I know
That a higher power exists
And I am
But
Its puppet

Today I wrote a letter
And  sent it to the one I love
I  remembered to buy a stamp
And I sealed it with a dove

The letter is going to India
Now that is pretty far
I remembered to include some kisses
And if I could, would have included a star

For the person to whom that I sent it
Is very important to me
And there’s never an end to the love all around
For this person that I wish I could see

But this place is so far
Couldn’t get there by car
So this rhyme hits the bar
And I hope it won’t mar

This letter

Step by step
One foot after the other
We walk our destiny
With sister and brother
We know not where
The journey will end
We plod on steadily
Try to ascend
We go to church
We say our prayers
We lead a life
Learn ours from theirs
Be good, do good
Be one we’re told
They force us all
Into a mold
We try our hardest
To do things right
We try and try
With all our might
Until one day
We wake to find
That we are caught
In our own bind
We reach for end
The prize to achieve
When instead we find
It’s time to leave
Hold on now to
Each step you make
It’s not the end
It’s the journey you take

Eyes open!
Eyes open!
My body can not move
Breathing slowly
What is happening?
Rich colours
Many scenes
Going so fast
Catch them
Catch them
And then
I awake
It was all
Just a dream

The snow is white, and wet, and cold
And alive
With the rhythm of life
I walk through the crunch and wet
And feel wholeness coming back to my limbs
The earth
Sharing her wisdom and beliefs
And I
Am but
One

Laugh
Sure laugh at yourself
And make fun of yourself
And truly find humour
In yourself
And then
Maybe then
You can start to take yourself
Seriously
And then
You will be able
To find
Your truth

The time has come for all good  men
And women, to take a stand
To speak their truth and jest their love
And passion across the land
We need a voice that should be heard
By people far and wide
The inner cry of higher knowing
The words from deep inside
Let’s find a place where people care
Where truth is held up high
Deceit gets buried and lies are gone
Let’s all reach for the sky
For we are more than most will live
We hide when we should shine
Let’s raise our voices in unison
Reach out as one divine

You know
How really alone you are
When your world
Is falling apart
And
You have no one
To call

I was walking on the street one day
Just minding my own business
When a woman came upon me
And caught me in my dizziness
She asked me why I walked
Upon the sidewalk with such force
She asked where I was going
And was I truly right on course
I looked at her and wondered
What this woman was about
I looked at her and wondered
With trepidation and with doubt
How could she just accost me
With her loud obnoxious voice
How could she stop my promenade
With questions and no choice
So I answered in a voice so soft
I tried hard not to quiver
I answered her as best I could
Even though I felt a shiver
I told her that I do my best
I walk on roads with strength
I spoke to her with truth and love
While keeping at arm’s length
I spoke of worlds that I had known
And places I had been
I would have talked of love and such
If that’s what I had seen
Instead I talked of woes and hardship
Of things that I had done
I continued in my dissertation
Even as there was no sun
I tried to stop my words from flow
She’d opened up a door
I wanted her to hear my plight
I wanted so much more
But then the time came quickly
I felt heard she walked away
Perhaps the two of us might meet
On another sunny day

Tears just behind the eyes
Threaten to fall
And obliterate
The happiness
That once was
All I can see
Is desperation
And unease
And sadness
And
I want more
I remember the sunshine
And the hope
And the laughter
And yet, it feels like it
Has fallen
Just behind my eyes
Behind
The tears

Family
Coming together to make sure
That everyone is safe
And happy
And supported
In their life choices

Family can come
From a variety of compilations
Not always blood related
But heart related
And willing to take the step
To compassion and caring

Family
A unit of love
Support
Compassion
Completion

Haiku
Family as one
Coming together in love
Holy unity

What is change
But a new knowing
Of what life is all about
And the understanding
That nothing has ever been
In stasis
We
Along with all that is
Are forever
Locked in movement
Ever changing, never the same
A lone figure amongst
The many
I hold onto
That which was
While embracing
That of which
I have no knowledge
And I jump
Into the abyss
Never knowing
If I will hit bottom
Or learn
To fly

It’s that time of year
When the sun is shining
And the warmth on my skin
Causes the flowers to bloom
And the birds to return
To their nesting
And I want to jump and leap
Through the air
With the
Joy of Spring
But alas
I can’t go out
Into my joyous place
By the stream
And watch the birds
Celebrating the birth
Of a new world
I can’t share my happiness
With those outside
As I frolic in the mists
Of a new day
I have to stay inside
Bundled in my aloneness
Shrouded in the knowing
That the world is changing
And I
Along with it

Do you ever feel like people talk
They do their blah blah blah
They really don’t know how to stop
They wear me ‘till I’m raw
I block my ears I close my eyes
I try to make them go
But they never even notice
And they make me feel so low
If I could only make them see
That non stop is so crude
They would understand that what they do
Is really kind of rude
I like to talk to people
And hear what they have to say
But non stop blah blah blah
Just has to go away
If they would take a breath or two
It would be kind of nice
The silence in that moment
Would really then suffice
So when you have some things to say
I hope you will hold in
The thoughts that run inside your head
Because silence is truly golden

Weeding out imperfections
Finding the faults
That make us
Less than Godly
Is the way
To cleanse
And prepare
For our true
Salvation

For better or for worse
This is who I am
And will continue to be
No matter how much
I try to change
I am old
And will get older
I am married to myself
For better or for worse
Till death do us part

There’s a word that’s come
Into my head
Have to learn the meaning
Have to put it to bed
It takes over my thoughts
Has me concerned
Don’t know what to make of it
Don’t know if I’ve learned
I’m certainly concerned
That I’ll use it wrong
Maybe put it on paper
Make it into a song
It’s mindful, considerate
And caring too
Use it wrong and I’ll find that I’m
Inside  a zoo
So thinking so carefully
Eager with fear
Not sure what to do
And feeling quite queer
So….

I’ll repeat the dear word
Again and again
Solicitous, Solicitous
And now I am sane

I lie awake at night
And listen to him
Snoring softly beside me
And wonder
What my role is
As friend
As partner
As a life couple
Nothing is ever
As easy as it looks
And performance
Is not the same
As action
Coming
From love
I ponder
And feel
And react
And wonder
Again
Relationship is not
Easy

This world in which we live
Is in a horrible mess
People don’t talk
And people don’t care
We wear our anger
Like a badge of pride
We keep ourselves hidden
In a place inside
When will love prevail
So that we can see
A world that is shiny
And new and free
And instead we keep ourselves
Hidden way inside
We’re afraid to speak
We’re afraid to cry
I watch all this
With a tear and a sigh
For until we talk
We may as well die

I hold onto that
Which was before
People who cared
And people who were more
Than a blank slate
Without emotions
People who hide
And have lost their devotion
I am hurt at the core
To see empty faces
People who lie
And have lost their graces
Will it ever come back
Has our innocence been lost
Will we hide and cringe
Will we ever defrost
Will we ever remember
How it used to be
When people felt
And would not flee
We need to learn now
How to live authentically
To show our true selves
And to finally be free
Please wake up now
Before it’s too late
Our future is not lost
We can still change our fate
By opening our eyes
Our ears, and our hearts
By pulling together
All of our parts
Walking proud and *****
As the people we are
Human beings with hearts
With our soul as the star

Birth and Death

I take off my garments
And what do I find
An authentic true experience
Of the limited kind
Its’s not everyday
That we find out we’re not
What we thought we were
And all the things that we got
We’ve experienced a body
Which gives us some sway
And an emotional body
From which we can’t run away
Our mind is quite nifty
Tells us what to do
It keeps right on going
Like an Everyready glue
Our heart does our feeling
At so many levels
And over our shoulders
Are an angel and devil
We wonder how we can manage
Without an instruction book or two
And yet we learn
What we have to do
We keep right on trucking
Until our work here is done
Absolved of our karma
Until we reach the end run
Then quickly and quietly
We reach the dawn of our lives
We’ve completed our journey
And end up in archives
We thought we were born
Into this human life
We thought we’d reached death
Through our struggles and strife
But instead we died here
On this crazy planet Earth
And we’ re born to carry on
Our soul comes to birth

Oh no oh no what shall I do
I can’t cook an egg or make a stew
My stomach is hungry the stores are closed
I don’t know what to do I’ve been exposed
I never learnt how to boil the water
To make spaghetti like I aughter
I can open a can if I can find
The opener I must be blind
I can call a friend to make some stuff
My God this is getting really tough
I can call for a pizza if the shop was open
Oh when oh when will it reopen
Mr google can guide me in trying to cook
The chance of that is like a house chinook
Oh dear oh dear what do I do
I want to bite and I want to chew
The dog food is looking better around now
Should I get down on the floor with the dog to chow
Desperation is reaching me at my neck
A cookbook I think it’s time to check
Aha a salad is easy as pie
I think that I will give it a try

You know we’re not the only ones
Who have a need today
There are some who go days hungry
And have no place to stay
There are some who wander across the land
Looking for food and space
There are some who don’t know where to live
Who look for aid and Grace
There are some who don’t know what to do
To make the hurt go away
There are some who reach out with empty hands
Who have never had a chance to pray
So those of you who know their place
Who’s bellies are full and  hearts embrace
Reach out to those who know not what
Reach out and help from heart and gut
Remember that in this Earth of ours
One shouldn’t be alone or left to starve
Reach out and help reach out with heart
Reach out and give right from the start
And know that you were never alone
In giving you have now reached out and grown

To the people of Ukraine
We feel your pain
We see you fight
With all your might
We want to support
And we fall short
How can we help
How can we be
How can we become
Your road to be free
No one should come
And take away
The land you’ve built
The place where you play
All life is sacred
And to be safe is a right
And yet you fight
Will all your might
To hold onto
What should be yours
The freedom to be
Without the wars
So hold onto
Your God given right
Patriotic love
Within your sight
And know that others
Walk by your side
Silent and strong
We’ll be your guide

Grieving Tears fall down
And I am one with my loss
Gone and always here