If you're traveling on your own,
I can be your companion.
In the mountains,
we'll carve our prays there,
and leave our footprints along the sides.
We can sing songs with birds
and harmonize with the naked creek.
We can see nothing but the abundance of old pine trees
for miles and miles.
In these cold winters, the fog walks
the grounds hiding the path.
So hold my hand and be my guide
for these hills aren't my native.
We'll make our home in the low valley.
Although you sleep in the day
and I sleep in the night,
there will always be a daybreak we could meet at.
We must be up in some north country
we must be loving our lives down in the mountains.

Your "Tree of Life" has many 'leaves'.......
not all are family...and friends

It's that person
   to whom you just said "Hi"....
While walking down the street

It's the driver of the car
   you let back out of that parking space...
and returned a wave as it was driven away

It's the homeless person
    to whom you gave a couple of dollars
without having been asked

It's that elderly person
    you let in front of you
in the check-out line at the grocery

It's those to whom you gave a smile
    those, whose name... you will never know
And may never......see again......

It's those acts of un-selfishness
     that seem to be 'minor' in scope.....
But, not.....to those addressed-

These are the 'leaves'
      that are on your....

'Tree of Life'...

Keep yours"watered", everyday

r. riddle 09-25-2016

We are the ones who are hard to understand
We'll be the last ones in the movie theatre
because the ending scene made us cry
We'll stop to smell the roses
because they deserve to be appreciated
We are the ones who will take the time
to learn what keeps you up at night
We are the ones who will imagine
an entire future of adventures
with the people who show us love

We are the ones who will love you more
than we love ourselves
We will give you our strongest parts
in hopes that we can make things better
We desire to see you become the best you
to make sure that you always feel our love
We crave affection and appreciation
We give a piece of ourselves away every day
sometimes to people who don't deserve it
Our love is easy to take advantage of
and sometimes we don't get back
the love that we give away

When we hurt, we crumble and fall apart
We constantly have to put ourselves back together
We are more fragile than we like to give off
We carry our emotions on our sleeves
Our flaws have the ability to consume us
We aren't afraid to give you the world
but we are afraid to feel unloved
We want you to see what we see
We want you to understand where we're coming from

We are good people with good intentions
We are stronger than we believe
Not everyone can feel the way we feel
We feel too much, too often
We are not hard to love
We are something not everyone knows how to love
But you need to remember that
your worth does not change just because
no one is there to appreciate you, to remind you

You are not any less lovable
You are the most lovable person in the world
You are a light that the world needs
Your kindness is not your weakness
You do not need to change for anyone's acceptance
You do not need to stop giving love
just because you don't get any back
Your heart is the best thing about you

And one day when you least expect it
someone will notice you from across the room
and know exactly how to love you
They will think all of these things are beautiful
They will deserve the love you can give
They will fill the empty space in your heart
But for now, don't stop feeling
We are the ones who feel everything so deeply
We are the ones who can't give up because
We are the ones who will teach the world
how to love

With crying seagulls, salt tears of spraying seas
this rugged coast of obelisk ancient stones
black blowing reign of squall and fury
the swallowing of sand and shore
tonight a ghost, a murmur of moon
the pitch grows ever darker
fretful wrath of wild ocean
awaits the calm to come,
the bright startle of
tomorrow.

without a care in world
dancing with flirty breeze
she plays along with life
as chirping birds in trees

bathing in sunlit dew
fondling with light i see
in arms of listless wind
you bloom so lazily

somewhere near the spoken
and unspoken
in a time stitched into
the mesh of camaraderie
beings are too easy to vanish
in an oblivion created by
business of a galloping heart
and lure of wealth

and though winds are fast
with waters still
she feels the tug of roots
pulling her back to memories
and vivid textures of paint
once audaciously smeared
on sheets of paper
now form a collage
of muddy remembrance

but with a blow of passions under her wings
and hearkening to voices of accomplishment
her being must go on to a different place
to transform
but not vanish into a galaxy of stars all alike
but be the sun of a million souls
yet remain the glisten of morning dew
yet remain the chirp of blossoms
yet remain a crochet of smiles

though she does not wait or beg
for world to join her
or apologize for giving into her desires
it is with this start
the floating dream of success awaits
in celebration of which
under twinkling heavens
bidding farewell to an October night
she slips into the trance of kathakali
and every beat of her feet
counts down
to the advent of orange morning light
of her own small sun

Your sacred place is where you can find yourself again and again. The great attractor. On a Sunday morning, near the river bank, soaking in sun rays filtering through wispy clouds that peek through tall oak trees, you sit on fallen orange leaves. Hint of chill still present in the early spring breeze. Calm water talking only through the language of small waves brought by soft wind. You see smoke coming out of a cabin chimney not too far away. Breakfast will be here soon. You feel excited to share sandwiches and simple joys of this morning with your soulmate. The conversation between nature and your silence only to be interrupted by the sight of your love. Radiant and natural after a great night's sleep, those glistening eyes gaze at the shimmering surface of water. You eat and you soak all scents of nature. You hum an old song. The urge to live the moment is just too strong. You want to scream out of uncontained joy but don't. Because it feels silly. Then out of nowhere he/she screams loud. Amazed, you laugh greatly and shout too. Both join in a song. Time stands still, lying with us together on dried orange leaves. Maybe that is why you find yourself here again and again. Because time slept alongside both of us lying down on the earth in embrace.

-attributed to Stalin
           in a note forbidding the arrest of Boris Pasternak

Stalin and Caesar had no use for dreamers
Stern men of destiny prefer strong tools
To execute their leader’s will, and yet
They cry and beg when they are eventually shot

Cloud-dwellers camouflage themselves with words
And shift their sails but not their souls, and keep
Their little ships on course straight to the stars
Straight on until the dawn they help to light

Courage is in your dreams and words and works
May it please God that Stalin has no use

For you