Barbareño


Sun touched Chumash children played upon the land.
Golden brown bears walked from mountains to coastal sand as wild steelhead swam up the Los Angeles River.
Cabrillo eyed the wide expanse. Spanish sailors laughed and danced with visions of beautiful wild maidens.
Old San Salvador bobbed and slipped smoothly through the warm salt waters of Southern California.
The Spanish Crown would be so glad, but thousands of Chumash would soon be sad.
Enchanted summer turned to fall as tranquil waters north turned to squall.
Captain Cabrillo and his men
returned south again,
to find protection on Miss Santa Catalina.
A fateful cut caused Juan’s leg to swell.
On January 3rd his men bid him farewell.
Near 500 years have past since then, Cabrillo’s gone as are his men.
40 million now tread upon nature’s most beautiful daughter.
Still upon a starlit night moon beams reflect an ancient light down on crashing waves with effervescent thunder. Her powerful beauty comes out again and erases the scars of greedy men.
Ancient words of Chumash roll and the ghosts of Tule elk bugle like banshees across the water. When again, will she be free to run again in harmony with nature and the universe of her creator?

August 12th,
Clear sunny day.
All seemed good,
But there was death to pay.

I dove into a perfect blue pool.
My skin refreshed by the cool.
My mind at peace.
I always felt that way in water.
But there was death to pay.

I laid there cold and ashen gray.
Because there was death to pay.

Many days have passed since then,
Somehow I cheated death my friend.
I live in wonder everyday,
Thankful that my bill was paid.

Somehow I forgot how to do now.
I live between the golden hazed days of the past and fluorescent dreams of the future.
I watch now happen, but I’m far away.
Where, I don’t know. I forgot how to do now.

In line I find minutes are hours
Years are eternity.
In line I find friends laughing, sun shining, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents around me eating chocolate birthday cake and homemade ice cream.
In line I find summer turns to fall and I walk to school with my metal Star Wars lunch pail.
In line I find time is not so slow as I walk across the stage with cheers for high school graduation.
In line I find the ups and downs and whirlwind of dreams, career, marriage, homes, vacations, friends, family spinning as time slips into the future. 40 just a number.
In line I find success and failure, pain and peace. I have more scars but more depth. More meaning and more love.
In line I find that many in front of me are gone. I wish I could have just one more dinner or phone call. The sounds of the children behind me keep me marching on.
In line I find that I can see the passing of time before it happens. I can speed it up or slow it down before it comes. It comes and passes so rapidly.
In line I wait for what must come, my time. My turn at the end of the line.

My mind is quiet.
I stand on top of a perfect tranquil sea. The borders extend to eternity. The limitless blue is quiet.

My mind is quiet.
I stand on top of a perfect tranquil sea. A powerful red hand grabs hold of me. The water boils and great waves rise. The intensity is deafening. Hurricane winds blow in a fierce garnet sky. Anger’s face explodes from the depths like Poseidon with a war cry. We fight for the prize. I win there is tranquility again.

My mind is quiet.
I stand on top of a perfect tranquil sea. A warm gentle wind encompasses me. I understand it’s power as I am lifted high on its wings of excellent delight. I feel great! I see Happy’s wonderful shinning smile. I never want it to end, but I know that we too must wrestle. I win and the sea has tranquility again.

My mind is quiet.
I stand on top of a perfect tranquil sea. A cold blue arm grabs all of me. Massive dark clouds drop tears from the sky. I’m pulled into the depths and I start to cry. I see sadness. Such a beautiful pale face. We grab each other and struggle to win this race. Strangely I feel like giving in. But I fight, and I win. There are tranquil seas again.

My mind is quiet.
I stand on top of a perfect tranquil sea. I know that emotions will come to battle me. The waves will rise and the winds may howl, but I know I’ll get along somehow. You see, the balance of these tensions produces tranquility. Without these forces both small and great there would be no contentment to celebrate. My mind is quiet, for now.

Radiant blast of fury and fire.
Mixed and hid inside like uranium in iron.
Wild boy dreams and finds, Nirvana in art.
The art of words, the sculpture made with hands. The music of those dead too young.
A briar wood pipe carved with care.
A smoke of Cavendish hovers in the air, like a phantom.
Mind free, purpose pure.
Perfect peace inside a volcano.

Creature
Body, mind and spirit
Blues eyes ponder
A universe spinning furiously.
Stars gaze through the arctic night
Northern lights dance like sprites
Blue and green fantoms reflect upon
glacier's ice
Slow,
Now I see, that faith is all that exists
between me
and eternity.

A thousand golden rays shimmer and dance on the water.
Old man river sings a peaceful song.
My feet soak in the blessing.
A warm breeze touched with wild peppermint soothes my soul.
My blue eyed girl smiles as she holds a baby frog.
My heart is full. I am happy.

The Earth is an aquarium in which we live
reality so sure that it leaks like a sieve.

We understand what we can see touch and feel, but other matters seem so unreal.

Thousands of years we have run around, but not even one footprint on Mars can be found.

We are trapped here from birth until the end of our days, to run like rats in this furious maze.

Death comes to all who are part of this race. It is the great collision between reality and faith.