too many times 
we live to please others 
tailoring our vision
to meet expectations of the crowd 
but we feel a twinge of heaviness 
knowing something is amiss 
that we are prisoners in our life
 
defy the crowd
ignore everyone else
live for yourself and be selfish
let your light shine

oh lonely doe
outside my blurry bedroom window
on this rainy day in may
drops pouring down a sky gray
over this single solitary soul

yet still as a statue she lies
except for those black glassy eyes
that blink and stare
without expression or care
sat the lonely doe hypnotized

sadness and solitude filled my heart
as i watched the lonely doe apart
i wonder if her friends or family were near
perhaps a squirrel, bird, or deer
will the lonely doe stay or depart

i left the window to fetch a cup of tea
only to find the lonely doe had flee
she left me all alone on this dreary day
no one to see and nothing to say
in perfect solitude by myself and free

losing yourself
is gaining the world

desire keeps us busy
but does it make us happy
the way love or purpose do?
love and purpose are not desire
you cannot walk away from them
once they find you

love cripples the strong 
and strengthens the *******
love fools the wise 
and wisens the fool
love brings harmony to chaos
and chaos to harmony
love is balance

the distance between us
larger than oceans of time
yet she peacefully slept
beside me

all that we know or imagine is
bound by limitations of
language, body, and mind

language limits us
for how can we communicate all
with only words?

body limits us
for how can we sense all
with only our body?

mind limits us
for how can we let go
when fear imprisons us?

love is the saving grace
love breaks the shackles
of our earthly limitations

language cannot fully express love
body cannot fully hold onto love
mind cannot fully understand love

yet we know love
when we experience it
that makes love the most real of all

what is the meaning of life?
whatever you want it to be
it is your life after all

how dismal it would be
if the meaning of life
was one size fits all

everything you need
is inside you
you are a miracle
do not let this world
make you forget
who you are

more collaboration
     than competition
more compassion
     than callousness
more creativity
     than conformity

i remember
when life felt immortal
when love was intoxicating
when days were simpler
my long lost friend
my youth

this armor i wear
strong and solid
heavy and rusted
shielded me from
arrows of suffering
but i grow tired
carrying this weight
to continue on
the path of life
i must shed
my battle-worn armor
and be free once more

the less we desire
the richer we are
but what is a life
lacking in desire?
must we become robots
to be enlightened?
or is there a place between
obsession and indifference
where happiness flourishes?

the heart gripped and squeezed
by an oppressive mind while its
creative blood dripped down

the mind whipped into submission
by a master ego leaving
scars of fear and insecurity

the soul mourns for heart and mind
to simply let go and open up
dissolving their chains of suffering

our fantastical future 
full of promise and joy
where dreams become reality 
where we go to die

we sit in our gray cubicle
(or corner office if you prefer)
use up days months years
even decades of life
to reach the dream
oh, that elusive dream
dangling about in the unknown
forever in the future
forever out of reach
forever a mirage

should happiness be our purpose
does it carry the same meaning
aristotle intended for us
we live in a society of addictions
swim in anxious waters
float in melancholy skies
yet demand happiness at every turn
happiness has become
our new addiction

our purpose can be
one thing and many things
it draws us in while
pushing us away
it remains static while
evolving as we evolve
purpose is the light
that brings joy
defining who we are
in that moment

our scars
badges of character 
proof of risks 
signs of failures 
tattoos of pain 
symbols of how we embraced life 
our scars are who we are

the more importance
we place on something
the more resistance
we feel regarding it
to overcome resistance
better to know the truth
nothing is that important
do not take life too seriously
and you will sail through life
with winds on your back
and little resistance

whatever our endeavor
we try so hard to be seen
to succeed through popularity
but the more we focus on
pleasing the crowd
the further we stray
from our initial endeavor
forget the crowd
do what brings you joy
if you touch the hearts
of only a few
that is enough

the primal spirit
exists in all of us
our coding makes it so
the hunter of past
lives inside you
do not forget
your power

desire is quicksand
a trap to suffering
the liberating tree branch
is knowing your desires
are imaginary and fleeting
you can let them go

when the people are rotten
fear yields more fruit than love
but to rule with fist and fear
is to become rotten inside
thus both ruler and populace
rot as one

life is a school
we are here to learn
there is no failure
no perfection
no finishing  
only continual learning

i laughed with demons
drank scotch in hell
conversed with the devil
danced in the firey flames
that is why I now see
the beauty of heaven

we would happily
walk into a prison
and lock the door
if it improves our security

when will you
open the cage
and soar?

when we think
we are separate from
the world around us
pain finds its way in

the grass and plants
the trees and leaves
they all seem to dance
in the cool light breeze

this world is theirs
i’m just passing through
they lessen my fears
as i write a haiku

thank you sweet nature
for your peace and care
i will be less of a stranger
with time, I swear

ours is a generation
that is skimming 
this book called life

instead of embracing
each and every word
on each and every page

better to experience 
few things deeply than
many things halfway

a tiny seed germinates
in the recesses of your mind
slowly infecting your innocence
wrapping it’s black tentacles
around your creative heart
bludgeoning the happiness
that once resided there
once perfection takes root
we are blind to freedom
we become a slave

a tiny seed germinates
in the recesses of your mind
slowly infecting your innocence
wrapping its black tentacles
around your creative heart
bludgeoning the happiness
that once resided there
once perfection takes root
we are blind to freedom
we become a slave

as still water stagnates
blood stagnates
move your body
keep blood flowing
fuel your life force

when they insult you
smile back
when they hurt you
smile back
they don’t matter
you matter
so smile back
you will show them all
what you are made of

alone at last
a blessing it is
to remove my masks
in solitary bliss
no more acting
and trying to please
just me myself and
my mind at ease

alone in my room
and a blessing it is
to put away my masks
in solitary comfort
peace and freedom
to be exactly who i am
in this moment

are we nothingness?
are we god?
or something in between?
i do not know
but we are so much more
than we think we are
that truth will reveal itself
upon our death

cool spring water
fresh ground flour
with love and time
growing a bit sour
a spectacle divine

mankind is but a speck of sand
yet we are blind
to our insignificance
for we are only
what we know

a spontaneous nature
is a nature of free will
to act in the moment
is to be free of restraint

strong winds
following a storm
pure and sweet
full of life
kiss my cheek
cleanse my spirit

embark on activities
that build character
rather than prestige
for character will triumph
over any adversity

i will scream and fight 
i will stay silent and brood
i will suffer and hurt 
but my love will never die
my heart will not yield

mothers and fathers
do not wish
upon your children
a life free of pain
that would be impossible
rather wish upon them
strength and learning
from the pain in life

you deserve your best
it is your right to achieve
but your responsibility also
the world owes you nothing
take (or create) what is yours
forge your weapons
win the wars you wage
but remember to respect
the freedom of others
lest it comes back to you

what is most beautiful in life
is that which is left unknown
that which must be imagined

this applies to all things
from romance to art
from science to philosophy

we are drawn
to the unknown
like moths to the flame

if there is an "after-life"
there may be a "before-life"
to die and depart this world
implies to be born and arrive
maybe to learn or to love
or to learn to love
and maybe, just maybe
we have died before
and this is an “after-life”

you are not sure
insecurity imprisons
between doing and not doing
but do not fear
no creative genius emerged
from blind confidence
it is the unsure artist
who tinkers and questions
that creates beauty
and yet
carries on insecurely

our ego is
the cage of the soul
when we forget the world
to experience pure joy
the soul escapes its prison
if just for a moment

we try to plan and calculate
all the twists and turns of life
as if we had a choice
on how our lives transpire
the arrogance
the foolishness