Seated all alone

deep longing shines from her eyes

she thinks of last night

A step I took
just one at a time
within me I'd look
to despair I'd not succumb

my life is yet
an unwritten book
not to be lived in regret
the hardest task I stand to brook

When I've arrived
at the edge of Nothing
I'd have known
it's a New Beginning

The home of humility is complete silence

             there's no need for any spoken sentence

A step I took

just one at a time

within me I'd look

to despair I'd not succumb



my life is yet

an unwritten book

not to be lived in regret

the hardest task I stand to brook

My heart is a rose-garden
to enter you have the key
whenever you wish, as often
as you desire-- so long as you still love me

The answer lies not
in the sunshine hours of daylight
its true dwelling is in the silent sacredness
of the heart's deepest night

She ruminated
      her cup of coffee not drunk
      eyes looked faraway

I have written
and now I long for sleep
let me be forgotten
there's nothing to keep

for with time every memory slips
and no word needs to be spoken
silence should seal the lips
my most cherished dreams would have been stolen--

I have written
some feelings have run deep
there has been little consolation
joys have been hard to reap

for life is never golden
troubles they but gather in a heap
as the dusk hours blacken
I'll happily embrace my awaited sleep

Love and hate

a subject we over debate-



of other themes

let us talk--such as dreams



where silent joys abound

without having to make a sound



of days of youthful delight

under the brightest sunlight



it will then be a life of endless thanks

when our life has done with every angst



my heart would be in peace perfect

all is calm and rest-- nothing more should I expect.

..... but wits don't make a person complete
     it's character that I desire to meet
     William had shaken the whole world-sphere
     each has their wisdom-- his wits we needn't fear!

Love is never perfect
we know but we don't fret
roses I will not buy for you
nothing changes as long as the heart is true

I write as I need to express myself and as this gives me clarity.

That I am doing something 'special' should never enter my mind.  Life is lived in the singular and everyone has their own story, whether such were a prince or a pauper.  No one has the monopoly over life or knowledge--every story, however simple or humble, has a place in the democracy and mystery of life.

Perhaps the personal narrative of a beggar, ***** or the farmer is more poignant than that of a royalty , a rich or powerful man, a scholar, or anyone else in high society's.

And we are more enriched as we are able to see other aspects of people's lives which otherwise would have been denied to us.

My humanism has enabled me to espouse this view so easily.

The greatest problem that divides people is labels and comparison-
people are full of themselves and regard others to be somehow 'inferior' to them. either in terms of education, wealth standing, rank...
And this is accentuated by our materialistic and competitive culture.

How could harmony exist among people as long as they choose to categorise?  Where is the love of and compassion for others?

Evolution has not saved us but has made us selfish, callous, heartless and uncaring.  How deplorable and miserable we are!  

Let us pause to re-examine our life and priorities-
we forfeit our very humanity if we can't find meaning and purpose in our pursuits.

Dear Esteemed Karina,  they are both exquisite. If I say I like this one, I would do injustice to the other.  Each creates its own mood and exudes its own depth and beauty.  If you ask me to compare the beauty of two women, I would have the same problem, so I say--they both have their individual charm.



Haiku on 'the abstract light blue'



Feelings have their moods

sad hearts tend to prefer blue

sort of pain subdued.



Haiku on 'Wintry Evening'



Wintry evening

grey shadows descend on trees

not a soul in sight

I don't say to the day:
look, I am here
it will just walk away
without any word that's dear!

No one needs to be great

their own life to celebrate

in contentment and self-acceptance

they will find life's every effulgence

I didn't lose any shine
it had never been even once mine.

Birds don't fear branches
  nor the slenderest of twigs
  we don't have their faith

They went all-out

     to seek what was  normal

     only to return in greater doubt

     and found their life to be abysmal.

The Zen/Taoist person is non-reactive and is unfazed by what others do or say.

Even in the worst situation, he feels calm,  acts in compassion and humility, doesn't seek to fight, wrestle or retaliate...
and the storm retreats on its own--

he triumphs by staying in the wu-wei (non-action)---
in doing nothing, all is accomplished.  

This is the subject of my 7th book-- a sequel to my 5th
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ZEN--THE PATH TO A CALMER & HAPPIER LIFE, Oct 2018

a kiss exchanged
that wishes to stay

the love that grips
fears to bid farewell

the heart hesitates
seeking words to say

the dream after the awakening
that refuses to fade away

It's infinitely better not to acquire than to later discard things which at first sight, seemed irresistible, but subsequently found to be blase.

  Materialism has taken away our love and appreciation of the beautiful and authentic that's found in all great works of art and all forms of rich human creativity.



Because we are spiritually blind, we find little joy in living---we drift along, often aimlessly, listlessly, wearily; we complain and whinge; we blame others or circumstances for our unhappiness, discontent, restlessness and angst, but never ourselves.  



Habits and attitudes perpetuate and we sink deeper in the inane quagmire of our own doing.  We become morally bankrupt.



Finding meaning is a matter of choice--

it's never too late





(from my 2019 diary)

There's no 'if'

              much of life is grief

Winter moon hangs low

above red and pink flowers

swaying in the winds

in bright kimono

she stands on thick winter snow

waiting patiently

Father ferries son

on bicycle over field

yellow flowers dance

I can't affirm

of love I'm worthy

others can't confirm

my attitude would seem haughty



perhaps at best

there might me a bit

of me that passes the moral test

and a morsel of worthiness I might then inherit

Many thanks. esteemed mentor

but this is an ideal and might not be true to life-

the opposite might be closer to the truth-

there must be lots of people who know they are not worthy of self-love or deserving of the love of others due to their serious human failings.

Can a killer, criminal, thief, robber...say to themselves in affirmation-

I am worthy of self-love and deserving of others' love.

The language of poets, gurus, mystics must be taken with a pinch of salt....as they romanticise love, beauty, truth, ideals....  wrapped up in lofty words.. they live in the clouds and their feet are not standing on real ground.

We must also be honest---human nature is not necessarily good---I need not quote the sayings of pessimistic philosophers and writers--the list is a very, very long one...

This leads me to conclude:  there's much to be said for the worthiness of self-love and being loved by others but to think this is the norm is to turn a blind eye to the truth.



You will note I am a pessimist in this regard but I am writing out of honesty and should not agree out of politeness as that would be insincerity and hypocrisy.


Please excuse my candour.  


with my esteem and best wishes from Melb

Pleasing others

is ten times harder

than pleasing myself

such angst I shouldn't suffer!

Life is neither black nor white
too often I'd not got it right

You have time yet
to discover other people
first, find yourself
the rest will be so simple

Grey clouds cover bridge

barren branch stretches skyward

faint light o'er river

Time shall re-echo
       your music's magnificence
       each note in its sublime flow
       speaks but of joy and radiance--

       amidst life's very chagrin and sorrow
        all that is suffers from impermanence
        those who the steps of beauty follow
        their hearts will vow to unfailing remembrance

The sound of a bell
as it leaves the bell

A drop of water
still clinging to the tap

The cry of a hawk
before it echoes through trees

A composer's wet ink
an eighth note in motion

My sigh in the morning
just before it heaves from my chest

The answer lies not

  in the sunshine hours of daylight

  its true dwelling is in  the silent sacredness

of the heart's deepest night

Twilight descending

on silent pond and grey trees

frozen snow on ground

Do not look outside
there's no healing
you can mend yourself
only by looking within

Nature is haiku

no word does she need to speak

silent majesty

Trees embraced by snow

Hyde Park turned to fairyland

poetry in white

Life is mainly

about the in-between

the past is history

the future is unseen

Ancient Greek maxim:

            Know thyself

            Central Zen dictum:

            Untie thyself

..yet beauty alone does not make a woman attractive or desirable--
she must also have tenderness, warmth and charm.  
Her physicality has to be complemented by the whole personality she exudes---her inner self must fuse with her look.

I wrote: we don't need knowledge to be happy but he disagrees:

Robert,  I leave to others to comment.

What I have said applies to my life....I am a Zen person who lives by FEELING and NOT PURSUING KNOWLEDGE which tends to muddle and confuse...
even wisdom falls short of personal experience, insight and intuition.  

I can quote many cases of great people of the past who were geniuses and the most intellectual whose lives were lived in suffering and tragedy---I think you knew such people.

Simplicity, humility, contentment, compassion, being childlike in innocence, wonder and appreciation of beauty, of grace, of gratitude.....this doesn't not require knowledge--
it springs from the pure fountain of the heart,
it is all we ever need for a happy and fulfilling life.  

Kindly share your thoughts--many thanks.

Peter from Melbourne

Horse drinks from river

rider asleep under tree

in winds leaves quiver

I prefer the unexamined life

            lesser I cogitate-- suffer little from strife

Phantasmagoria

expressed through splash of colours

imprint on psyche

Forgotten old home

facing cool autumn water

reflection of trees

When you are about to burst into anger

view the situation from another angle

Be brief

    a long speech

    is a verbal screech

Go forth into the day

         in unheard prayer

         pave kindness on your way

         be the unseen sorrow-healer