In my striving to achieve
joy and happiness,
I find it useful
to study carefully
all the hundreds of cultures
of the world
to discover
how each culture
achieves joy and happiness
in their own unique way.
For example:
What food do they eat
to achieve nutrition-joy and taste-joy?
What music do they listen to
to achieve music-joy?
How do they dance
to achieve dance-joy?
How do they govern themselves
to achieve a joyful and happy society?
How do they feel and think
to achieve joy and happiness?

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

Without the bird, would we look up? Without the ant, would we look down?  If our souls never reached out would we learn to love the other? I believe there is no bird or ant if we never learn loves direction.  Curiosity.

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

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

she ran
from non-existent footsteps
paranoia
kicking in
from a lack of meds.

a white
metal
locked
shack.
with the stench
of bodies.

a stuffy nose
at the worst time
promised her demise.

a peek
in the window
peaked
her curiosity.
with only a splash of red.

another window
left open
to air out the stench
led to
no-longer-****** bodies

and she screamed
but not for very long
because the knife
peirced her neck
and the scream
turned into silence.

curiosity ...

involves a will
to question
a facility not needed
when you have blind faith
in shock jocks who compellingly
save you the trouble
there is power in persuasion
a voice with sonorous conviction
that corrals you into what to think
burrows into a small mind
like a god-voiced ear wig
quelling the notion
you are not so sure?
Pauline has the courage
to say what
you are thinking
or the audacity
to fill an empty vessel
that had nothing
but a nascent fear
that blissful ignorance
was under attack
so gather with the herd
know you are not alone
the mediocrity shepherds
will reassure you
that you are all together
it’s them that are different
it’s them who are hatefully wrong