Our house is far away
Beyond barren deserts
Behind unexcitable mountains
Where golden meadows thrive
Our house is other side of sorrow
Other side of restless waves
It's behind cypress forests
It is in dreams, in sleeps
Near that sacred garden
Past pear orchards and vineyards
Our house is beyond the clouds
Other side of hopeless pains
At the end of moistened roads
Behind the rain behind the sea
Our house is rich in story
Tales of sour cherry and mulberry
Our house is amidst
Assuring laughters
Full of drowsy souls
It has ponds with patient fishes
Alleys with coquettish cats
Our house is warm and sincere
Old pictures hanging on the walls
Picture of paradise on the veranda
Picture of shoreline in summer
Picture of that day under the rain
Eyes full of tears and a suitcase
Leaving loved ones behind
Leaving kindness behind
Our house is far away
Hidden from world's despair.

invisible
yet possibly deadly
it empties streets
makes us quarantine
cities  regions  nations
hits us unprepared
reminds us that pandemics
can also happen in our time

a few days ago I walked downtown
a strange quietness filled the air
made me react to noises and sounds
I had not even noticed
when streets were full with people and cars

     even the wail of distant ambulance sirens
     sounded louder and more ominous

I only saw occasional joggers
a few women airing their pet dogs
more bicycled food deliveries than usual

they hardly acknowledged my existence
glances did not meet
my friendly nods were rarely returned

we have all become solitary strangers
keeping their safe distance

When pain
hurts no longer
when wounds
don't matter

when the heart
has fallen over
when love departs
in rancour

when the flower
has lost its lustre
when time looks away
and the day is devoid of laughter

still no tears would I shed
nor would my spirit ever falter
the stoic that I am is unfazed
broken pieces I need not put together.

I must confess that there is no feeling like it—then when
           You wake up
to recognize a place within
your sleeping soul
at rest

sinking low
in deep hues
choose any color
sometimes
one more
or another

how about
cloudless
how about
nebulous

resting
inside you,
is sweetness
beneath
where
life is lived
crawl out of
darkness
some how

everything
you've ever
known
reveals itself

some are sweet
oh so clear
others are nightmares
soon to disappear

oh the fears
take me there to
where they linger
letting go to
slip through fingers

awake now
caught on a
sparkling web
paralyzed  
and alone
and all I see
are
poly-chromed
imaginings

and I confess
there is no
feeling like it

Control takes hold
           and sometimes it doesn’t let you go
So you escape
          in chains, still hanging, holding you down
It's human nature
                 can’t help it
And there are disorders
                               there is chaos
Constant, stirring up tornadoes
                    with dust and destruction and we are
       Powerless
           Peaceful One, don’t you love us
              Say it is so
                 Some given grace and others no place
                     And some want all the control
                           and all the power and when others fight it
             all access is
                      Denied
                          How would they feel in our shoes
                                        Dirt under nails on the floor
                                            And the devil crawling under the door
          One of Light,
                         We will never know and it’s not our place
                      A thing called faith filling in a blank void
               When times are trying
We’re finding
                                            And finding and finding and finding
                                                                ­ You must still be here
                                                            ­ Trying
                                                                 ­         Don’t give up on us
             These times can make you grow distant
                       Because of our nature
                                 And it grows harder for us to
                                             See you in all that we’ve become
                                         Inside
Here in purgatory and ploys
                  Brainwashed by toys and shiny lights
                When beauty surrounds us
                          If only we could finally see it
                                                        Magnif­icent One,
                                                         When times are trying
                                                                ­      Don’t give up on us
                                                         Because of our nature
                                                 Drifting, you'll be there
      in the afterglow
             all, so easily taken away