Woman took a vow of celibacy
Poverty and Obedience oh my
Haven't arrived at fifty
At such state of no chat

Would love to meet
A nun turned inward-
To be connected-
In the power of silence.

Perhaps in the future
A wish from my bucket-
Bucket of lists-
To fulfill for the next
Fifty peaceful years

Contemplative in my days
Wishing there could be no tax-
For being thus-
Alone and disconnected
But staying connected
Without stirring up ripples

Born after months of waiting
Gone in a hurry to be God's Angel
Born so parents can be blessed
Gone so heaven can rejoice

Baby Stella gave much
Without giving
Baby Stella said much
Without saying

Baby Stella came to tell you
That you are special
Your love tested and won;
You gave hope and strength to many

May you in your solitude
Be the most peaceful
With an Angel by the side
Thank you Sherly
Thank you...

.

How do we mend wavering pedestals...
When the ground beneath is parched dry.
Stemming off loose foundations that time had weathered wry.

How do we mend broken gazes...
When watchful eyes which were meant to see,
are blinded by the onslaught of half-truths and fallacy.

How do we mend burnt bridges...
When we never look back to trace heavy missteps.
We fail to admit to consciously springing obvious traps.

How do I mend ailing hearts...
When familiar corridors seem warped to a bend.
When my own is struggling and perpetually on the mend.

How I remember so fondly of those days
Days of old when my father was younger
And I just a child filled with innocence
Full of wonder about the meaning of life

One assurance I remember having
Of providence from Source of all sources
From regular chanting that rose in the evening
In every home in the hood, including mine

My father worked with men in hamlet
To discuss the building of a Chapel
Chapel where Saint Joseph Honored
Whose name my father carried
Same as the surname I carried proudly

Many a time I catch myself
Being vexed by someone
Who gets under my skin
I can't let it go unnoticed
Brushing it under the carpet
Has never been my style
I think of how I might
Get rid of that feeling
Without having to bruise

After years of experimenting
I have come to realize
That it is coming from within me
As I have had some unresolved issue
That needed to be looked at
In objective contemplation
When I or someone close to me
Have done the same to others
I moved on without correcting

As age progresses, I wish
I would come out clean
From all that I have passed
Having asked pardon
Or having prayed for one
Who was irksome without knowing

This awareness puts me at ease
With new experiences,
As each a tool for a better conscience-
I could just pray for that someone
When s/he too doesn't know
What s/he is doing
Or even when known
Didn't know how to correct

My fruitful moments are spent thus
In praying for friends and foes alike
As the friend of today could have been
A foe in the past
And the foe in the present
Could very well be
A friend in the future
Regardless of the friend/foe
Dynamic, I would beseech
As it puts my mind at ease
With all that IS, making me wonder,
Have I moved on to becoming
Wiser through my vexations?

It's adequate to discern what you feel
Have been proven thus by ages
Let it all flow through your pen
Without restraint, they must flow
When You're done letting out
The last of the fear, sorrow n guilt
You will know that it was well worth
You no longer brood on the same
As it has become a thing of the past
And you have new emotions
Waiting to be expressed
With intuition running deeper
Making you proud
Of growing more conscious of self
May all your feelings find a word or two
To wrap around
While resting in time capsule
Leaving you poised
With clarity of thought
One stride at a time

Why I can't hold it back
Why do I have to lash out
Why this lack of self-control
Why suffer from such outbursts

Why not do unto others
As you want others to do unto you
Why this soul cannot love other
For all here are one

Feeling alone and aloof
Due to outbursts
That others cannot
Live with in this short life

Why not make it easy
For self and for others
Why not just exist
Without protesting
And reacting

Don't know why
Have been this way
When Will Be the change
Possible for Me to
Feel one with others

It will happen soon
As soon as I start
Thinking I am you
And you  are me

Hoping in possibilities
Of new perceptions
Replacing old ones
For a better tomorrow