just as the soft breeze
carries a falling seed 
of the maple tree
to a distant place 
with the sun's warmth 
and a gentle rain 
life sprouts anew
just as love's seed
opens in our hearts

to want subtracts from life
to be grateful adds to life

           — the math of life

to rule by fear
may yield a large crop
but only for a season

the colorful birds 
chirped with glee
to defend their nests
up in the tree
while a young poet
listened with delight
as thoughts of love  
inspired her to write

a horde of hateful men
standing together resolved
on a platform of prejudice
each mind empty inside
devoid of substance
vessels to be filled
by the bitter hatred
of only one man

the pain we choose
yields the reward we desire

the process we embrace
yields the lives we dream

the journey we walk
yields the destination we seek

what are you willing
to struggle for?

to those who fear death
know that death
is the ultimate trip

love gives you the wisdom
that you are not alone
but love’s pain 
(from separation) 
emerges from this knowledge

the character of a man is written by
whether he smirks or smiles
whether his eyes sparkle or glaze over
whether he stands tall or cowers forward
whether the lines on his face laugh or frown
and most importantly
whether he radiates positive or negative vibrations
who we are is written all over us

everything you do 
(and don't do) 
will be interpreted 
by your peers 
for better or worse 
whether true or false

together we walk 
to our deaths
in this thing called life 
but somehow we forget 
we are in this thing
together

for who knew true love
while protecting their heart?

when we unlearn
what we’ve been told
life becomes much broader

the desire for money
robs the present moment
we live a life of “until then”
instead of “right now”

my love burns brighter
when i must reach for my lover’s hand
my heart grows fonder
when the distance between us expands
my wants burn with desire  
while my haves are lost to the fire

the hot water rained down 
on my cowered head
as i scrubbed my flesh
until my skin glowed red
but i could never wash away 
the guilt that marred my blood
it had seeped into my bones
turning my heart into mud

if you look back in time
whether near or far
you will see
we are all immigrants
it is a human need
to search for a better home
and be the change it needs

i don’t tell you often enough
and we both know
that i am ******* you
but i am proud of you
you are learning
taking risks
making mistakes
yet remaining curious
and always moving forward
to be a better version of yourself
you are heading where you belong
fear not

             — myself

what is success you ask?
not sacrificing today
for a better tomorrow
when the elusive tomorrow
becomes a genuine today
then you have made it

and my world
began to bloom
the way rain clouds
slowly part ways
revealing a pale blue hue
while rays of light
smile down

intuition and inner wisdom
are but a faint whisper
we must quiet the noise
to hear it

we travel to find ourselves
we long to discover what we want
we struggle to find a destination in life
this is because we are blind
to the knowledge that
we already have what we want
and can never know who we are
because we just are

you ask me why i love her?
what a silly question 
“why” you ask?
for no other reason 
than i just do
love is a wordless mystery 
there is no reason for loving 
you just do

to take sail
with no map or compass
to let the winds of fortune
carry you to distant shores
is more courageous than
he who plans and plots
his destination

not everything
must have a purpose
life is meant to be experienced
without goals and deadlines
but with wonder and awe

it's all about you
you loving you 
you hating you
you creating you 
you destroying you 
it was always you
no one else

just as the red sun
glows on the horizon
just as the moon’s light
glitters upon the ocean
you open your eyes
and i am in awe

if you don’t play
by their rules
you can’t lose
at their game