Below the Surface

Every aspect of the household appeared impeccably neat
With items large and small seemingly in place as if in its own seat
Until I approached the cabinets for a container to look
When a warning came forth, “Be careful - beware before that door you unhook!!”

Not believing that possible in a house so well organized
I flung the door open and received a shocking surprise
As plastic of every size and shape tumbled in a cascade
I tried not to reveal my amazement or that I was afraid

Perhaps you wonder what I saw that did scare me
Certainly some bouncing plastic is not truly what I did see
What I saw was all of the seemingly well-organized aspects of life
Seemingly all in its place but within there’s so much strife

In an instant I thought of the lifestyle we lead
Where throughout our globe so many yearn to be free
I thought of the economy that we now know to have been a fake
What should have been transparent was so very opaque

I thought of the people who appear to have it under control
Who seem to have set and then achieved every goal
I wondered what is within each such heart and mind
If I could view inside perhaps a messy cabinet I would find

Then I thought of my own cabinets, closets and each storage area
And I realized that there was no need for hysteria
For in living our lives those portions sometimes will be in disarray
And so we just reorganize once again and live for another day

Inspired by M&EK

Imagining Great Lovers

Imagine I was Adam and you were Eve
With all the time in the world to please
To take care of nature and each other’s needs
Until the serpent with us would plead

We’d gain the knowledge but lose the idyllic life
As we would leave the garden for a lifetime of strife
Still I would be your husband and you would be my wife
Relying on our love and wits (as sharp as a well-honed knife)

Imagine you were Cleopatra and I was Anthony
Before us lay the world and our futures to see
With such immense love our lives would be carefree
Little would we know or care what awaited you and me

For there would be those who would plot
To make sure that our love would be for naught
And though we would end our lives to avoid the onslaught
We would do so in love and not be distraught

Imagine you were Juliet and I was Romeo
Two star-crossed lovers from long ago
You as my girl and I as your beau
With burning desires creating an internal glow

And if our families would not allow
The two of us together then and now
We would flee to take our eternal vow
Trusting our hearts to let us know how

Imagine you were Bonnie and I was Clyde
No living in public we’d have to hide
No rules to follow at least none we’d abide
We’d live life together on a non-stop joy ride

And if eventually we were tracked down
So that one day the police did fully surround
We’d hold hands and smile, there’d be no frown
As our love would vanish the fear of being cut down

No need to imagine ourselves as historic lovers
For to us our own love is a love like no others
Though sometimes we stumble along (like many fathers and mothers)
We know that for each one of us there is no other

So someday let someone write about our love
Let them describe its range as much more than an octave
Let them compare it in beauty to a pair of pure white doves
Circling high in the sky within the world and yet above

The Brain and The Mind

Our Brain
Encased in a protective bone shell
Tangled neurons generating electrical signals
A barrage of nerves creating our individual consciousness

Our Mind
Consciousness of our glorious world
Our identity and all information, and the gift of memory
Tears and smiles, moans and laughter, hate and love, all that we are

Our Visions
Of what has been and what can be
Of the world as a living hell full of pain and misery
Or as a Garden of Eden in which the lions and lambs rest together

Our Thoughts
Of all that could be
By treating our world as a treasure
By recognizing the value and worth of each person

Our Appreciation
For the scents that fill our world
For the multitude of sounds that surround us
For the beauty of the diverse elements of our world

Our Longings
For connections with our world
For companionship and friendship with others
For acceptance and love, peace on earth and good will to all

Our Mind
Our Consciousness
Our Visions and Thoughts
Our Appreciation and Longings
All from our Brain
All from our Brain

Inspired by an article in Discover entitled "Brain Trust".

Reflections

Reflections of the beginning when they sat with childlike wide opened eyes
Thinking themselves prepared to absorb and process
And, in doing so, to expand their minds and mature their lives.

Reflections of moving their minds from static to dynamic
From unknowing to the knowing to unknowing
And, in doing so, to comprehend that they will forever be unknowing.

Reflections of realizing the value of both experience and knowledge
Gaining a perspective from which to see connections and disconnections
And, in doing so, to recognize that gaps and tensions forever exist.

Reflections of living with co-existing humility and pride, confidence and guilt
Proceeding with a focus on growth rather than nurturing shame
And, in doing so, to move toward the light away from the dark.

Hidden Within

I once had a computer generated picture
Composed of seemingly random colorful dots
But with time and unfocused perceiving eyes
The picture within emerged from its plain sight hiding place.

I wonder if our world is like that picture
Composed of seemingly random sights, sounds, smells and textures
So that with time and unfocused perceiving senses
The world that is hidden in plain view will reveal itself.

My Body Cries Out

I remember springing from bed
Each morning ready to face the world
Full of energy and vigor
Totally unaware of my body.

My mind still says "spring forth"
But my body no longer obeys
And when it finally moves
My body parts shout forth in unison

Ankles and knees clicking loudly
Muscles straining to elongate
Against rubber band like resistance
Shoulders and back ratcheting open

I wish my body were not so busy
Making itself known to me
I liked it when it was so silent
I did not know it was there.

Transition

At times it seems as if the snow and cold will never go away
That the green and blossoms of spring will never reappear
That the chilling numbness brought by the cold winds will last forever
That the warming sensations brought by the tropic breezes will never come

At times it seems as if the night and darkness will never go away
That the glowing and redness of the horizon will never reappear
That the trembling uncertainty brought by the pitch blackness will last forever
That the calming feelings brought by the rising sun will never come

At times it seems as if the stillness and silence will never go away
That the moving and sounds of life will never reappear
That the being motionless brought by the living sleep will last forever
That the dancing steps brought by the music of life will never come

But in its time, always in its own time
The warming tropic breezes reappear
The rising sun brings forth the calmness
The music of life is heard again and the dance begins.

The Last Week of January 2009

Last week there were endings
Opportunities for new beginnings
Or so the song lyrics tell me
But ending are endings, beginnings are beginnings

A year of working on my Israel video production
With hours of fine tuning
Elements that matter only to me
Finally showing and distributing
The end of production, the beginning of preserved shared memories.

Six months of living with my father-in-law
With hours of shared time
Elements that matter to us both
Finally hugging and handshaking
The end of house sharing, the beginning of new times together.

Years of working with my fellow lawyers
With hours of interacting
Building a community and firm together
Finally reducing numbers and people
The end of firm building, the beginning of survival and re-growth

Songs of Youth and Reflections

Sixty thousand years ago, the bow and arrow was "invented", whatever that means. Then, the device seems to have "disappeared" for over thirty thousand years at which point it was used with a vengeance both in terms of its popularity and its intended use (at least from the point of view of the recipient of the arrow).

Around ten thousand years ago, the agricultural revolution "started", whatever that means. Agricultural certainly was not invented at that time, but it was around then that people developed the ability to work with some parts of nature (hence, controlled irrigation) and in doing so, they were able to grow more food than was needed for their immediate needs and they no longer had to rely on the ability to kill wild animals (some days that worked and the people were satiated, other days it didn't work and the people remained hungry. and some days, it didn't wok and the wild animals ate well).

As a result of man's "advance", whatever that means, it became necessary to store the harvest and to protect the stored harvest. And so, armed forces were used (undoubtedly using the bows and arrows that had been developed just twenty or fifty thousand years ago, depending on one's point of view).

Some four thousand years ago, Abraham comes onto the world stage, whatever that means, but it was a stage that already was well established and then around five hundred years later, there was "Moses", whatever that means (another revolution).

Around two thousand five hundred years ago, Darius the Great, whatever that means, ruled much of his world, and enjoyed archaeology as a pastime (maybe he was looking for the roots of the agricultural revolution but even for him, that was long in the past).

Two thousand years ago, we have Jesus as a world changer with the start of a religious revolution, whatever that means.

Around fourteen hundred years ago, we have Mohammed as another world change with the start of a different religious revolution, whatever that means.

Some thousand years ago, Leif Erickson becomes the first European to "discover" North America, whatever that means because it probably never was lost but it became forgotten because then some five hundred years ago, Columbus "discovers" North America all over again.

Some two hundred thirty years ago, the United States is born, whatever that means.

Some one hundred fifty years ago, the Civil War almost kills the United States, whatever that means.

Some ninety and some seventy years ago, the World Wars threaten to bring an end to life as we know it, whatever that means.

Some (almost) fifty-seven years ago, I was born and in less than fifty years, I will be dead, whatever that means.

So, although my life seems short to me in terms of how quickly it is going by, it is oh so much shorter when taking into account the history of the world, whatever that means.

So, do you know what this means? If you do, let me know, because I don't?

I do know this, however. I can travel into the past by listening to music with each song taking me back to the time that I listened to it - I become young again.

I do know this, too. I can be brought to reality by looking in a mirror for it is then I see the the lines of life etching their way into my face, etching that certainly is taking place internally for I now feel parts of my body that before were silent partners, but no more.

So, although there is little to do about the body parts that are crying out, I think that I will cover the mirrors and turn on the oldies, and just live this short lifetime with a song of my youth on my lips and a smile on my face, for life, no matter how long, is short, it is very short.

And if they can lose the bow and arrow and North America, think how quickly memory of one's life can be lost, whatever that means.