happiness is easy
it's easier to drink soda
than juice celery
it's easier to scroll facebook
than read a book
it's easier to watch internet ****
than romance your lover
it's easier to freeze the fat
than exercise and eat well

yes, happiness is easy
but when did it become
another addiction?

we all need a little chaos
a little crazy in our life
we follow that straight line
we know where it leads
same day in same day out
it is insanity
raise a little mischief
be a little crazy
if only to feel more alive
like spice brings food alive
chaos brings life alive

all i want in life
is to become everything
i am capable of becoming

fear is anti-fragile
the more we resist it
the stronger it becomes
let fear pass through you
feel it then let it go

be our authentic self
but what does that mean
in a world of bombarded stimuli
constant choices and distraction
follow the road of curiosity
that will lead to our authentic self

no matter how dark
    the abyss
no matter how weak
    the body
no matter how lost
    the mind
there is a way out
    to rebirth

you must believe

“daddy, i want to be an artist when i grow up”

“no dear child, you can’t be an artist
you won’t make any money and will struggle”

“but daddy, i love to paint
why can’t i make any money?”

“because artists are poor
haven’t you heard the term starving artist?”

“ok daddy, if that’s what you think is best
maybe i will do what you do”

“that’s my girl”

“i love you daddy”

we are human
we cannot be perfect
but we can always be better

it is always the lovers
the mothers and fathers
the friends and teachers
those closest to you
who plant seeds of doubt
in your mind
who push you away
from your dreams
only the strong (and stubborn)
may follow their heart
while those dearest to them
cast stones at their passion

when you gave yourself
to a nameless stranger
my heart was ripped apart
by my bloodied hands
while i descended
into poisonous perdition

a man was tragically hit by a car
Death suddenly appeared to him
shocked, he fell to his knees
begging Death to spare his life

pleading for a little more time
to reach his dreams and goals
to love and cherish his family
to appreciate all that he had

Death smiled and replied
“that is what they all say”
as he dragged him
to the after-world

what joy it brings
to step into yourself
to know what you stand for
to do away with nonsense
but this knowing takes time
and time is the cost 
of self-acceptance

with his heart broken
the artist sank inside himself
drowning in fear and self-doubt
once hopeful now defeated
inspiration abandoned him
unable to paint masterpieces
with the poisoned blood
gushing from his fragile heart
that now runs dry

there is nothing wrong
with a disdain for authority
break their rules
do things your way
just don’t get caught
you are no good to anybody
locked behind steel bars
or expelled from school
take their degrees and accolades
use it against them
make this world a little better

on one ordinary night,
i sank into death’s realm
in all its bitterness and defeat
powerless in its consuming grip
my mind buried alive
in an everlasting nightmare
deeply personal and exposed
but that dark moment
steered me on a truer path
decorated with love and creation
leading to a dawn of knowledge

maybe, we should all
have a taste of death  
the world might be
a better place

better to be in the moment
than editor and critic of the moment

a spark transforms
into a raging fire
crackling and bursting  
voraciously consuming all
with time the fire subsides
into dark glowing embers
radiating soft warm heat
that burns just as deeply
as the flame that gave it life
this is the progression of love

worry not on
reaching your destination
you will not be satisfied
when you arrive there
a new destination is
always on the horizon
be happy with the journey
that is all there is

love, the primal energy
not a mere emotion 
we were born out of 
the eternal grace of love 
love cannot be found 
for it is already inside you 
you only have to remember 
where you came
what you are
pure love 
pure energy

we have big plans and grandiose dreams
we want it all and we want it now
but no matter how high we aim
life is just a series of tiny steps
small decisions and everyday routine
do not fool yourself in thinking
your life will be different
when the next big thing arrives
for you will still wake up each day
brush your teeth, eat your breakfast
sit on a toilet and drive to work
all while dreaming about that
next juicy carrot at the end of your stick  
it is all the same really, life
a collection of moments that make up a day
so you best be enjoying
those everyday small things
they add up to your life

we explore the world
but what good is that knowledge
without creation
we create works of art
but how limited are our creations
without exploration

we love our parents
but we must not be our parents
we honor our parents
by having our own identity
better to be the apple
that falls far from the tree
better to live your life
your way

to fall in love
is to see the world
through the eyes of god

those who embrace
the fast life
find their way
to an early grave

chi cammina la notte
combatte la morte

Translation:

whoever walks in the night
fights with death

These were wise words shared by my father and his father before him. May God rest their souls.

caution to those who
marry for physical beauty
for flesh fades with time

just as autumn leaves
become dry and brittle
our bodies wither and die

but our soul, our mind, our heart
they bloom with age
growing brighter and wiser

we must love the soul
for the soul lasts
while the body fades

do not force things
better to flow like water
moving around resistance
changing form
as the terrain changes

there are days
gray monotone days
when i feel nothing
i want nothing
i love nothing
i hate nothing
i am nothing
my mind floats
between dream and reality
a foggy purgatory
of nothingness
this scares me
more than suffering

our body is the hardware
our food is the software
how are you programming
your health?

when did mankind
mutilate butcher and crudely
stitch back together happiness?
for i cannot recognize
what we call happy anymore
cheap thrills and shallow substance
happiness, the drug of choice
for the modern generation
ancient moral virtues
lay fallen by the wayside
take out your pitchforks and hunt down
that “frankensteinian” happiness
for he is an abomination
of what happiness was
of what our society needs
make an example of him
to set us on the right path

there he goes again
why does his ego have 
to be so **** fragile
he takes my one little comment
and has to launch an atomic bomb back
the question is should i take the bait
or let him have it
it's just not worth it
but it really ****** me off
and why do i have to hang on
to that anger when i can fight back
but to what end
he'll just get more vengeful
and i'll get more angry
and this will go on for days
and then for weeks 
until we both can't take it anymore
so **** it
i'll let him have this one

goddess
nurturer of all things 
mother of creation 
we are born from the mother 
she nourishes with her breast 
bestows love and creative mystery 
oh simple mortal man, 
a competitive brute 
he is nothing without a goddess 
the gods spoil us with the feminine
the beautiful women of this earth 
man is lost without them

it is easy to ride 
the wave of life
to let forces carry you 
from one place to the next 
and little by little 
you forget who you are
and why you are 
it takes great strength 
to step off this rollercoaster 
and embark on a new path
that is uniquely you

the billionaire man
felt more joyous excitement
driving his first used beat up Corolla
than his new shiny red Ferrari
happiness is a matter
of perspective and familiarity

it is pleasurable
to dine in heaven
to dine in hell
where we spend our time
determines where we end up
in this life
and maybe the afterlife

the humble dandelion
a **** to some
but a wondrous gift to me
clusters of yellow flowers
decorating fields of grass
like tiny smiling faces
signaling the birth of spring
delicious bittersweet leaves
nourishing earthly roots
cleansing to liver and body
abundant and free
nature’s most overlooked plant

seek what makes you hungry
if you are not compelled
to act with obsessive vigor
if your curiosity does not
taunt you with madness
then keep on searching
for that elusive hunger
it is what rips open our chest
so our soul may shine

there was a little boy
with a broken heart
his silent wound refusing to heal
that little boy became a man
now he massacres innocent hearts
extinguishing lovers like spent cigarettes
all to mend his still broken heart
and the cycle continues . . .

“i don’t know”
we frown upon that statement
when asked what
we want in life

but “i don’t know” is
letting go of your ego
not controlling the outcome
or forcing an answer

in an infinite world
“i don’t know” is more powerful
because it is vastly larger
than “i know”

i must be
who i can be

your thoughts and values
are they really yours
or were they inherited
from your mother or father
or your friends or teachers
perhaps your thoughts and values
developed from your past pain
what if you let go of your
inherited thought patterns
what if you let yourself have
a blank slate of thoughts and values
to invent a new you
the real you

two strangers lock eyes
amid the dizziness of crowds
nothing but a fleeting glance
sparking instant bliss
if only for that moment
instant bliss

arms and legs bound
trapped in a pine box
gasping for air
a feeling that chokes my gut
when a moment of solitude
escapes me

who are we supposed to be?
we are born into this world
a blank slate as soft as clay
raised by mother and father
taught by teachers and friends
told to contribute to society
but be happy along the way
is this all there is
or is there more?

we learn through
iteration and repetition
repetition hones your craft
iteration grows your craft

she will crash the party
and leave in haste
she will bring riches
and bleed you dry
she will take one form 
and depart in another 
she is lady luck 
and she will keep you alive today
but extinguish your life tomorrow

sometimes letting go
is the most courageous act

to walk your own path freely
with a creative heart or

to walk the well-trodden path strictly
with control and ambition

the former breeds love
releasing buried tension

the latter breeds fear
stimulating addiction and paranoia

we live in a world 
of ones and zeros 
of science and theory
but only love will guide us
through darkness and pain
for its mystery is illuminating

stop telling yourself
what to do and how to think
start listening to yourself
true wisdom has always
been inside you