Dad

Mom

from time to time

i forget

who i am

why i am here

i just forget

so

i look at a photo of you

and the memories of my childhood flow in upon tears of joy

and i feel your love for me

unconditional

honest

true

and i remember

i am here to love

the moment

i saw you

i knew

you are the one for me

because

all I saw was love

For my loving wife, Margalit

thank you
to all you well wishers 

when you said, typed, sang
happy birthday 

but, i have a confession

my silly heart
it hears want it wants to hear 

when you say
happy birthday 

it hears
i love you

my silly heart

wake up my love

Before you                                                                                       

I fell asleep to love                                                                  

My eyes had grown heavy                                                         
(My heart was weary)
 
I had succumbed to the day in and day out of life                       

Sleepwalking my way in the world                                              

Yet I dreamt of love                                                                 

Of the feeling of love                                                                  

I tried to awake                                                                         

But my slumber was deep                                                             

Then I found you                                                                      

Or you found me                                                                             

Sleeping                                                                                    

With your gentle nudge                                                           

You awakened love within me                                                   

You whispered                                                                          

Wake up my sweet                                                                   

Love is here (I am here)                                                           

Wake up my dear                                                                    

It is time to love again                                                                

Wake up my love                                                                      

We have a life to share                                                             

Wake up my love                                                                     

The morning of my brother's wedding, I woke up with the idea about a poem. This was the second marriage for both of them. They knew love, but just fell asleep to it.
(Dedicated to Michael Ward and Cecilia Bravo, June 18, 2011)

the simple unending path of love

I listen
and I learn
I learn
and I cry
I cry
and I forgive
I forgive
and I heal
I heal
and I love
I love
and I listen...

what if this is the last day of my life?

This morning I woke up and said to myself, 
“what if this is the last day of my life?”
What if it is?
What would I want?
I searched my mind for an answer.
I closed my eyes.
Took in a deep breath
and slowly exhaled.
I spoke a silent prayer asking for guidance.
I waited quietly.
Took another deep breath
and slowly exhaled.
More waiting.
Took another deep breath
(Three times a charm or three strikes you’re out)
and slowly exhaled.
Then it came to me.
Something I wanted as a child, but never had.
Cap’n Crunch and Coco Krispies mixed together.
How simple life becomes when a dream is discovered.
Nothing else exists.

who you are

one day

maybe soon
maybe in another life

it doesn't matter when
but it will happen

you will see
what you do
is not who you are

in this moment of seeing
you will have a choice
 
continue what you do or
become who you are

the choice will be obvious
but it will not be easy

the momentum of what you do
has carried you this far
it is familiar and safe

who you are is precious
like a newborn child
you want to hold

but you will not be able
because your hands are full
of what you do

the only way to hold the preciousness of who you are
is to let go of the burden of what you do

in this brilliant moment of letting go
the kingdom of god is at hand

haiku

sweet flower of love
your essence fills my being
petal by petal

leaves jump in the wind
a child's hands open wide
pure moments of joy

i found my blessing

i found my blessing
quietly waiting for me

not in a stack of books
about finding ones blessing

i found my blessing
in the eyes of a child
i saw in the mirror
when i finally decided to look

This poem is dedicated to Betsy Taylor who loved everyone she met as if they were her own children.

my first blog...again

I finally have a blog. Well, I actually started a blog about a year ago and wrote a really great intro paragraph, but I lost the blog address. I don't know how it happened. I am somewhat competent on a computer, yet I did not record the blog address or the name of the blog. So, it is out there someplace, floating aimlessly in the blog universe.

If you happen upon it and you will know it when you do, because you will see a great intro paragraph (and possibly a photo of me), please let me know. In the meantime, here is my second attempt at a blog. I am older and wiser now and I know at some point I will record this blog address so I will not forget it.