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Apr 2022 · 90
I AM
Shamai Apr 2022
I am the light
And manifestation of all
All that is within
Is without
From clay I was born
And to clay I will return
As witness God observes
And lays judgment
With love
And
I Am
Apr 2022 · 65
Both
Shamai Apr 2022
In my body sits unrest
A gathering of hurricanes
And volcanoes and tornadoes
Wanting to express
And
Deep within myself
There is hope
For a better world
And I sit in the mire
Of
Both
Apr 2022 · 67
I am Master of my Destiny
Shamai Apr 2022
While all around me
Bombs of hate are exploding
And prejudice
Is falling from the sky
In buckets of tearful wounds
And I watch
Waiting for an opportunity
To express
Innocence and love
We can no longer hide
In our unwillingness to know
We must reach out
And express our oneness
And love for other
As well as for ourselves
Without love
There is no world
Without compassion
There is no peace
Without self
There is no hope
I am
Therefore
I am the only one
That can create
Change
Apr 2022 · 79
What
Shamai Apr 2022
What is it like
To find out
That my world has been torn asunder
And I am lost
In this chaos
How do you raise children
In a world filled with
Prejudice and hate
How do I find love
When darkness fills my life
My heart reaches out
And my soul cries
For that which was
And I fear
That which is to be
Apr 2022 · 92
Finding Myself
Shamai Apr 2022
Where am I
And what has become of my world
That used to reflect my innocence
And will to be
Instead
I am a torn being
Bleeding out
Into chaos
Trying to find self
In a world
Where self cannot live
The pain of finding out
That I no longer
Have a future
In this world
Filled with hate
And
Chaos
Apr 2022 · 91
I Am
Shamai Apr 2022
I breathe
Therefore, I am alive
In a world of chaos
And destruction
I live
In a damaged vitality
And a crushed spirit
Of unknown origin
I am
A product of my environment
Tattered and torn
Crumbling into
A world
Of chaos
Apr 2022 · 376
So Difficult
Shamai Apr 2022
Do you ever feel
Like no matter what  you do
You can’t overcome the hurdle
Like life
Is pushing against you
And you don’t know which way to turn
Always remember that
Life is here for us
To experience
For us to gather our
Inner resources
And find a way
To create joy
From misery
Apr 2022 · 236
Just Sitting There?
Shamai Apr 2022
Sometimes we just sit there
We sit and we wait
For others to take the lead
Don’t feel it’s our fate
And yet strength lies in numbers
And we need to stand tall
We need to play our part
And reach out to all
The world doesn’t change
From a very small selection
We all need to play our part
With love and affection
So from a place of compassion
I ask you to get up
Speak truth and devotion
With a loving cup
Apr 2022 · 79
WORDS
Shamai Apr 2022
Afar access adieu abode
Dictionaries have some of those
Apace argosy arrant asunder
These are words from those down under
Dictionaries have words we’ve never seen
If you want to learn you must be keen
Shade shore slumber slay
These are words with which we play Sylvan tarry temerarious tenebrous These words are certainly clearly arduous
I think of beget behold beseech With all of these words I want to screech
Where do words come from and why do we use
We listen to sounds and we listen to clues
And try to understand what words are about
Which ones hold meaning which ones hold clout
Yet when the day is done we can look back and say
There were many new words that we used today
Apr 2022 · 64
Hungry
Shamai Apr 2022
Oh no oh no what shall I do
I can’t cook an egg or make a stew
My stomach is hungry the stores are closed
I don’t know what to do I’ve been exposed
I never learnt how to boil the water
To make spaghetti like I aughter
I can open a can if I can find
The opener I must be blind
I can call a friend to make some stuff
My God this is getting really tough
I can call for a pizza if the shop was open
Oh when oh when will it reopen
Mr google can guide me in trying to cook
The chance of that is like a house chinook
Oh dear oh dear what do I do
I want to bite and I want to chew
The dog food is looking better around now
Should I get down on the floor with the dog to chow
Desperation is reaching me at my neck
A cookbook I think it’s time to check
Aha a salad is easy as pie
I think that I will give it a try
Apr 2022 · 369
Bye Bye
Shamai Apr 2022
Did you walk the dog
Did you make some tea
I don’t know what’s
Come over me
I don’t want to do it
I’d rather rest
Watch some TV
Not take a quest
I’m just feeling lazy
Want to stay in bed
Covers are pulled
Right over my head
I’m hiding from others
I’m hiding from self
I’d much rather be sitting
Upon a shelf
It’s easier to do nothing
Than get involved
I’d rather be hiding
And be absolved
But I do peep out
And what do I see
A friendly smile
Coming at me
Maybe it’s not so bad
Maybe I can give it a try
I think I’ll go out now
Oh well, bye bye
Apr 2022 · 73
It’s Time
Shamai Apr 2022
Oh my oh dear what should I do
I cannot find my other shoe
The time is getting later and
I need to take a firmer stand
On getting myself some discipline
I need to work on singleton
The voices in my head tell me
The way they think I need to be
But they are voices from the past
And it’s not so healthy if they last
First I thank them for their work
If I didn’t they’d know that I’m a ****
Then I tell them it’s ok
For them to take a rest and play
I can handle all my stuff
It really shouldn’t be so tough
It’s time an adult I must be
If I want to reach my joy and glee
Take charge of all the things I am
An authentic self and not a sham
So I pull up my boot straps and get right to it
Become more involved get healthy and fit
And clean up the place put things in order
Like I truly live here I’m not a border
Things have a place so find them I can
Become a responsible woman or man
Apr 2022 · 55
Almost There
Shamai Apr 2022
Waiting waiting
We’re almost there
A time for fun
A time to share
All week we wait
Until we’re done
Watching the clock
Till we reach the home run
Counting down
Minute by minute
Working hard
So we don’t get the boot
Our coat is ready
Our cap we have on
We have been thinking
Our plans are drawn
There is something special
About Friday night
Our work is finished
And we feel alright
We hop in the car
Turn the music on
We dance in our seats
From dusk to dawn
And before you know it
Monday has come
We’re back in our chairs
Looking tired and glum
Apr 2022 · 69
The Journey of Life
Shamai Apr 2022
Step by step
One foot after the other
We walk our destiny
With sister and brother
We know not where
The journey will end
We plod on steadily
Try to ascend
We go to church
We say our prayers
We lead a life
Learn ours from theirs
Be good, do good
Be one we’re told
They force us all
Into a mold
We try our hardest
To do things right
We try and try
With all our might
Until one day
We wake to find
That we are caught
In our own bind
We reach for end
The prize to achieve
When instead we find
It’s time to leave
Hold on now to
Each step you make
It’s not the end
It’s the journey you take
Shamai Apr 2022
I really want to help you
And I want to give my time
And yet when they are ready
Your ‘no show’ is your dream time
You really meant to do it
And something else just did come up
Your heart was in the right place
But your work had no back up
What does it mean to give your word
And do what you should do
What does it mean to follow up
And not say your adieu
Better to keep silent
Keep your promises to yourself
Then open up a window
And be found on hidden shelf
For promises once spoken
Should be followed through to end
And offering up your valued time
Is something to commend
So keep  up all your promises
So others know your true
Be honourable and capable
And always be the best of you
Apr 2022 · 60
My Day
Shamai Apr 2022
My day started out as normal as can be
There were things to do there were places I must be
I hurried out the door trying hard to keep the pace
Although I knew I couldn’t really keep up with this race
I had to sweep I had to cook I had to do my best
In one day there’s so much to do to keep  up with the rest
It’s just that sometimes I don’t want to do most anything
I sit and stare or play some games keep busy without doing a thing
And then by night the guilt kicks in and I look at my obligations
I look at all I could have done and I look to my relations
It’s ok to take a rest sometimes and leave some things to slide
It’s ok to rest in a comfort zone and in silence and peace abide
And then it’s time to pick up pace and rally to the call
For when truth is told we have to do and get right on the ball
I take and I receive with love I have to do my part
For in this untidy world of mine is where I have to start
To account for all I could have done and pride in what I accomplish
If I take an accounting of all I am it really would astonish
A daily accounting of all I am and all I hope to be
Gives me a chance to set my goals and a path I then can see
Mar 2022 · 58
Being Heard
Shamai Mar 2022
I was walking on the street one day
Just minding my own business
When a woman came upon me
And caught me in my dizziness
She asked me why I walked
Upon the sidewalk with such force
She asked where I was going
And was I truly right on course
I looked at her and wondered
What this woman was about
I looked at her and wondered
With trepidation and with doubt
How could she just accost me
With her loud obnoxious voice
How could she stop my promenade
With questions and no choice
So I answered in a voice so soft
I tried hard not to quiver
I answered her as best I could
Even though I felt a shiver
I told her that I do my best
I walk on roads with strength
I spoke to her with truth and love
While keeping at arm’s length
I spoke of worlds that I had known
And places I had been
I would have talked of love and such
If that’s what I had seen
Instead I talked of woes and hardship
Of things that I had done
I continued in my dissertation
Even as there was no sun
I tried to stop my words from flow
She’d opened up a door
I wanted her to hear my plight
I wanted so much more
But then the time came quickly
I felt heard she walked away
Perhaps the two of us might meet
On another sunny day
Mar 2022 · 68
Money
Shamai Mar 2022
I used to look at money as the root of all evil
I used to look at money as a debt I could not pay
I marveled at how others could keep their books in order
My money used to travel, in my pocket it couldn’t stay
I tried to think of money as a bartering of sorts
I tried to call it friend and to understand its source
Money has a way of speaking I couldn’t understand
I failed to understand its movement and its course
And then one day a teacher said to put it in my mouth
That ***** crumbled paper cloth with print upon its face
I could not would not take that ***** bill from hand to mouth
I would not put it in my mouth myself to now debase
Most money comes from hard work from a job or from a place
It travels through the land from hand to hand from face to face
Money is just a way of saying you’ve earned like most adults
Money is a way of keep people in their place
Countries play with currency with values high and low
Stock brokerage and Wall Street keep our money at a tow
We have no way of knowing if it’s up or if it’s down
We have to learn to pay at source with money from the crown
They play with percentages and valuations infatuation and in flux
Countries loan it out and scream pay back when it’s really only bucks
I want to understand the silliness of paper and coin
I want to shout out stop it when the countries then conjoin
To hold it is to waste it and to spend it then it’s gone
What way is there to understand its brightness and its brawn
So money I will place you in the world not understood
I’d like to give you value if only then I could
Mar 2022 · 75
Meditation
Shamai Mar 2022
Meditation is a place where we should go
When times are tough when times are slow
Go inside and meditate
Silently sit and silently wait
Soon you will see the light inside
Soon you’ll go on a magical ride
Find a teacher who knows the way
Stay with him both night and day
The world outside is cold and damp
Check out your actions and then revamp
Begin to see other as your self
Begin to know your authentic wealth
Be kind to other in humility give
It’s the only way to actively live
Change things around and go inside
Know who you are, in love abide
Mar 2022 · 83
Find The Inner World
Shamai Mar 2022
Bombs exploding all around
War is hell and hate abounds
We live in a world when we don’t know
When it will be our time to go
We look around and fear comes in
We wonder what we did to sin
And forget to take an active role
We need to remember our real goal
To know our self, know who we are
Look deep inside not from afar
We think we belong we take a stance
We involve ourselves in a frantic dance
And think we know what comes up next
And forget to aim for our apex
Go inside and find your name to fame
Stop playing their ridiculous human game
We must remember to quietly sit
To be in the world and not be of it
Mar 2022 · 54
Opportunity
Shamai Mar 2022
A favorable combination of time and place
If we don’t take a chance then we’ll never reach grace
There are times in our lives when things go well
There are times in our lives when things are swell
They go the way we wish they would
We take a chance as well we should
And then sometimes things go away
No matter what we do they do not stay
And frustration sets in and we give up
We don’t know what to do with the big flare up
And we forget how much fun we used to have
And how people helped on our behalf
We give up all and hide inside
And wait for the coming of a helpful tide
Sometimes we wait sometimes we gain
An understanding we need to obtain
Opportunity knocks and we should respond
Take a chance on choosing what is beyond
Jump into the opportunity that comes to us
Allow and choose without a fuss
For when opportunity knocks we should be home
Consider it luck like a honey comb
And embrace the chance for life to guide
Our way to home in love abide
Mar 2022 · 88
Checking In
Shamai Mar 2022
How are you doing
And what’s up
Checking in
Before I sup
How’s the weather
Taking walks
Stopping by
Having talks
The world is changing
Moving fast
I hold on tight
And feel the past
Don’t know where
I’ll be tomorrow
Will I be in joy
Or deep in sorrow
We can not guess
We can not plan
Our life moves on
Visit the clan
Tomorrow will come
Yesterday is gone
The present is now
I greet the dawn
I take each day
As if the last
I don’t hold on to
Things from past
Each day is new
Each day is pure
I  open my eyes
Just to assure
That I am still
Here on this earth
Know who I am
And know my worth
Mar 2022 · 52
Meditation
Shamai Mar 2022
People ask me what I’m doing
And I tell them I’m being still
For in that silence lays
All the things I can fulfill
For prayer is talking to the One
Who cares for us with love
And meditation is listening to his word
The message from above
While asking is reaching out to God
It’s in the silence that we know
Just who we are and where we’re from
It helps our soul to grow
Just close your eyes and contemplate
Then let go of it all
When in the presence of our Lord
We are truly very small
The inner world is magical
Inner light and sound are present
It heals it holds it makes us whole
It’s where our time should be spent
While talking is good the listening
Is much more satisfying
It helps give satisfaction to our soul
When from the body we’re flying
We rise above body consciousness
And take the hand of the Lord
He takes us on the inner journey
An area to be explored
Meditation is an open door
To becoming more than we are
It takes us to another place
Beyond the moon and star
Mar 2022 · 44
Prayer
Shamai Mar 2022
I pray to God for loving
And I pray to God for food
My every wish I wish for
Becomes prayer and that is good
Prayer is just a wishing game
A time to ask for stuff
Yet isn’t it time to realize
That what I have is quite enough
When I pray to God I recognize
His presence and his Grace
When I pray to God I hope
That I don’t fall flat on my face
Prayer is communication
And what I could be saying is ‘thanks’
Thanks for all you give me
And thanks for all your yanks
That bring me back to where I am
And where I hope to be
Thank you for your loving
And thanks for holding me
Mar 2022 · 53
Peace
Shamai Mar 2022
Peace is that which comes into  
The body and the soul
It sits in heart awaiting
And it helps us reach our goal
Peace can be  elusive
And helps us reach out and hold on tight
Peace can be the calming presence
That keeps us feeling right
Peace can be a harmony
Of beautiful dimension
Peace can be a holding
And a space for true ascension
When peace is reached
We feel a sense
Of beauty
And ideation
Peace can be delusion
Or creative imagination
When peace is reached
We know a sense
Of beauty and detachment
Peace can be a letting go
Of old thoughts a dispatchment
Peace is not a common place
It takes work to reach its space
Peace takes time to germinate
Can’t reach it as a race
It takes quiet and perseverance
It takes will and solid grit
It takes Sat Chit Ananda
And the ability to sit
For it’s in the silence
That the magic can take place
It’s in the inner world that we find peace
With silence and with Grace
Mar 2022 · 47
Waiting
Shamai Mar 2022
I’m waiting for the sun to shine
I’m waiting for the day
I sit inside and wait
Hope the sun will surely stay
Seems to always be
Waiting for something to come
I’m waiting in the morning
And when the day is done
I wait for things to rise
And the oven to get hot
I wait for rain to stop
And wait for water in the ***
My day is spent in waiting
For something to come out right
I’m spending my time waiting
From the morning to the night
If I could only go on
With the things I’m waiting for
If I could just be all myself
From toes up to my core
If I could stay for just some time
In the space that we call present
Then I could understand
And see where my time is spent
Let go of expectations
Let go of judgment too
Just do things in the present
Give myself the love I’m due
Then anxiety will fly out the door
And peace will reign inside
And I can love now all of me
And stand with strength and pride
No longer living in past and future
The present is where I’ll be
With joy and jubilation
With love hope and with glee
Mar 2022 · 51
Service to Other
Shamai Mar 2022
The shopping the cleaning the cooking and more
All of these things should not be a chore
They’re done with the love that we have for another
A mother a father a sister a brother
We take our time and do things right
We clean everything we see in sight
And when it’s done and we’re all alone
We smile with joy and set the tone
Our gift to other is really our self
And who we are puts us on the shelf
Of honour and praise for who we are
When you give from the heart you are a true star
Mar 2022 · 68
Welcome Home
Shamai Mar 2022
The geese have returned
To their Northern home
And I am awakened
To their fanciful flight
And the resonance
Of their welcome
Mar 2022 · 261
Spring
Shamai Mar 2022
The sun is shining and the birds are returning
To a world
That was covered in snow
Spring is in the air
And soon plants will be
Peering out of the ground
Looking for the sun and warmth
That gives them life
Soon jackets will be removed
And boots become a thing of the past
As warmth envelops
And allows us to bask in the sun
After a long winter
People thrive in the sunshine
And embrace the world
As it awakens
Mar 2022 · 57
Spring
Shamai Mar 2022
The sun is shining and the birds are returning
To a world
That was covered in snow
Spring is in the air
And soon plants will be
Peering out of the ground
Looking for the sun and warmth
That gives them life
Soon jackets will be removed
And boots become a thing of the past
As warmth envelops
And allows us to bask in the sun
After a long winter
People thrive in the sunshine
And embrace the world
As it awakens
Mar 2022 · 74
He Found Me
Shamai Mar 2022
God’s love came knocking at my door
And I let him in
He taught me truth
And he taught me
About be ing in  the world
He guided my life
And kept me safe
He showed me the meaning of life
And how to live
In a world of
Anger and deceit
He showed me the way
To enlightenment
And
Kept me on
The straight and narrow
He allowed me just enough space
To hang myself
And then
He brought me lovingly back
To reality and purpose
I thought
That I had found God
When, in reality
He had found me
Mar 2022 · 57
True Love
Shamai Mar 2022
There are times in our lives
When a feeling passes over us
And we wonder
What is True Love?

A feeling that begins
In the deepest recesses
Of our heart
That extends
Into our knowing
That this person
This one
This thing
Will be forever
Indelibly
Engraved
In
Our memories
And our
Heart
It means
That nothing
Is too much
To give
And nothing
Is too small
To take
It puts other
Before ourselves
And
It means
Putting someone
Something
Above
Ahead
Of  who
We think we are
True
Unconditional love
Means
No boundaries
It’s all encompassing
And all consuming
When we truly love ourselves
Then
All is harmony
In our lives
Love
An never ending
Place
Of giving
More than we get
It means
Charity begins at home
And we want to
Be in that everlasting
Bliss
Of being
When we are enveloped in love
Time stands still
And everything has meaning
That means
Nothing
When love enters our lives
We feel protected
Like nothing can ever hurt us
For we are enveloped
In caring
In knowing
That we are more
True love
Means
Talking and sharing dreams
And thoughts and experiences
True love
Takes us on a journey
Of enlightenment
And
Lighting
The dark corners
Of our lives
It means
Emptying every crevice
And filling it
With
Love
Mar 2022 · 54
the Mind
Shamai Mar 2022
I am a product
Of my own creation
My mind decides
Where it wants to go
And
I follow it

If I could only decide
Who I want to be
And
Where I want to go
It might
Make life more interesting
And instead
I allow
My mind
To guide
My life
Path
Mar 2022 · 141
FEAR
Shamai Mar 2022
Fear
Real
Raw
Rising in the body
Debilitating
Restrictive
In form
Keeping us from reaching
Our
True destiny

Fear
Incomprehensible
Limiting
Behavior following
That creates
Both darkness
And light

Fear
Another way of saying
That we are
Vulnerable
And no longer
Invincible
In an
Ever changing world
Of destruction
And rebuilding

Fear
Powerlessness
Inability to move forward
Stops us
In our tracks
And
Can lead
To
Destruction
Of self
Disclosure
And awareness

Fear
I have
And
I release
For in that fear
Lies decades
Of
Emotional upheaval
That dominate
Our being

Rising above the fear
Gives us the vantage point
Of future

Fear
I bask in you
For you bring
Awareness
Of self
And possibility
Mar 2022 · 56
Who are we?
Shamai Mar 2022
What does it mean
To fall flat on our face
And not know what life is about
What if your spirit
Was calling your name
And all you could do was pout
What if needs and expectations
Were guiding your life
And you didn’t even know they exist
What if purpose and value
Were lost for a while
And never showed up on your list
Life is about finding out
Who you are and what’s your path
Faith and religion only go so far
They warn you to be careful and do what you must
Because actions could be your bar
You want to feel good and you want to smile
You want to find purpose and goal
You want to reach who you are and will be
You want to feel healed and feel whole
It starts from your wanting
And moves into the now
What you will create
You’ll find as your Tao
Reach inward and find
Your true self at core
Know God and your self
And you will be more
We all fight for freedom
For wisdom we search
To find who we are
Is our research
Go in and be silent
And listen with peace
Your understanding of life
Will surely increase
Mar 2022 · 703
Advice
Shamai Mar 2022
The times are difficult
The waters are deep
Who do we go to
When the world feels steep
We have our parents
We have our friends
We have our lovers
And we have our pens
Step back take a look
Is it as bad as you think
If you look to the future
Do you need a shrink
The advice I give
Is take things one at a time
Life is a long hard
Road to climb
Don’t look ahead
To what may be
Stay in the now
And do not flee
Sow your wheat
And use a plow
Gather your harvest
And be in the now
Today will be gone
And you’ll understand
What used to be
Is at your command
Let go of preconceptions
Let go of your fears
Things will look so different
In a couple of years
Mar 2022 · 604
TODAY
Shamai Mar 2022
Today I will write
As best I can
To make myself heard
All over the land
We need to be peaceful
We need to be love
We need to reach out
To the God up above
And make our needs known
As we reach out to other
Our mothers and fathers
Our sisters and brothers
And let them know that
They are not there alone
There are laws to protect
That are written in stone
We need to take care of
The world, best we can
We need to stand up
And take a real stand
Today is the start
Of a new way to live
Reach into your heart
And give, give, give
Shamai Mar 2022
What is a woman
What can she be
A tidy package
Of love and glee
She cares about others
Makes others her own
She’s kind and considerate
And very well known
Whether with child or without
She does her part
She knows who she is
Right from the start
A woman is whole
From beginning to end
She reaches out to others
To make them her friend
So on this day that is special
For women world wide
Please stand there beside her
Always be by her side
Mar 2022 · 66
I am Woman
Shamai Mar 2022
I know a place
Where I can go
When I’m feeling lonely
When I’m feeling low
It’s a place inside
Where I can hide
Collect myself
To be by my side
The place inside
Is warm and unique
I love to go there
You can take a peek
My safe place gives me
The time to reflect
To look at my life
And see the affect
I know I am special
I am one of a kind
I love to be in
This space in my mind
And when I come out
The world seems to  be better
And I slowly become
A loving trend setter
So watch me and learn
What I have done before
For I am woman
You can hear me roar
Mar 2022 · 49
NO
Shamai Mar 2022
NO
We say NO to our children
And  often forget
What we have  said it for
NO is a word that is so overused
That naughtiness will come before
If we could only say what we really mean
Instead of the shouting we do
Then children would understand what we say
And not hold their breath and turn blue
No is a word we use way too often
We’ve forgotten what it truly means
We’re reminded when our children, the older they get
And become the terrible teens
Please use NO sparingly
Only when there’s a need
Remember to hold it at bay
For children will leave when they’re all grown up
Even when you want them to please stay
Try encouraging your children to independence
Being able to make choices alone
For when inner learning takes over the game
There will be nothing for them to atone
Mar 2022 · 125
TO MY DAUGHTER
Shamai Mar 2022
Welcome my child
What can I say
You’ve come into the world
And are here to stay
I welcome you
With all my love
For you are a gift
From up above
I’ll hold you and clean you
And keep you all warm
I’ll make sure to protect you
Through any storm
For you are the child
To which I gave birth
Through my body
I brought you to Earth
I’ll watch as you grow
Encourage your smile
I’ll hold your hand
Through every trial
And one day you too
Will become a mother
And know that you also
Are like no other
Mar 2022 · 60
Who Am I
Shamai Mar 2022
I look in the mirror
And what do I see
I see a stranger
Looking back at me
She’s wiser and older
And full of grace
And she sure does move
At a slower pace
She knows who she is
And where she comes from
She knows where she’s going
And the authentic outcome
She’s friendly and smiles
And laughs all the time
She’s sure of herself
As she reaches her prime
So look out world
I am here to stay
I’m feisty and healthy
Even though I am grey
Mar 2022 · 447
In giving I receive
Shamai Mar 2022
There is something in this world
That gives more back than we put in
And that gift
Is the gift of giving
When we give to others
We allow ourselves to become
An object of love and caring
And we open the heart
To receive more
When we restrain ourselves
And keep everything for ourselves
Our heart closes
And we become tight
And dried up
And lonely
When we go beyond ourselves
And recognize
That
All is one
Then we understand
At deeper and deeper levels
That
In giving
We
Receive
Mar 2022 · 39
Blemishes and Beauty
Shamai Mar 2022
We drove on the street
And every time
I made a mistake
You pointed it out
And when we shopped
You made sure
To tell me
When I was wrong
And in the house
You pointed out
What
I needed to do
Please remember
None of us are perfect
And we each carry with us
The things
We need
To work on
Imagine for a moment
A world
Where people
Point out our beauty
Instead of
Our
Blemishes
Mar 2022 · 205
PEACE
Shamai Mar 2022
Peace is a place deep inside
A place where you can go to hide
It’s warm and fuzzy and helps you feel strong
When in that place nothing can go wrong
When you feel vulnerable and in some pain
A place of peace will be your plane
Let go of fear, let go of foretelling
Living in the future is not a place for dwelling
Live in the present and feel the peace
Of letting go stress to release
For peace is a dwelling that you can feel
It gives you strength when life you deal
It helps you move past feelings of woe
It helps you be happy, it helps you to grow
For peace is a longing to be more than that
A place of silence in which to chat
And then to quiet your inner thoughts
Will remove your blemishes and all your dots
So you come out more than you came in
And you become more than you have been
Mar 2022 · 63
Ukraine
Shamai Mar 2022
To the people of Ukraine
We feel your pain
We see you fight
With all your might
We want to support
And we fall short
How can we help
How can we be
How can we become
Your road to be free
No one should come
And take away
The land you’ve built
The place where you play
All life is sacred
And to be safe is a right
And yet you fight
Will all your might
To hold onto
What should be yours
The freedom to be
Without the wars
So hold onto
Your God given right
Patriotic love
Within your sight
And know that others
Walk by your side
Silent and strong
We’ll be your guide
Feb 2022 · 59
birth and death
Shamai Feb 2022
Birth and Death

I take off my garments
And what do I find
An authentic true experience
Of the limited kind
Its’s not everyday
That we find out we’re not
What we thought we were
And all the things that we got
We’ve experienced a body
Which gives us some sway
And an emotional body
From which we can’t run away
Our mind is quite nifty
Tells us what to do
It keeps right on going
Like an Everyready glue
Our heart does our feeling
At so many levels
And over our shoulders
Are an angel and devil
We wonder how we can manage
Without an instruction book or two
And yet we learn
What we have to do
We keep right on trucking
Until our work here is done
Absolved of our karma
Until we reach the end run
Then quickly and quietly
We reach the dawn of our lives
We’ve completed our journey
And end up in archives
We thought we were born
Into this human life
We thought we’d reached death
Through our struggles and strife
But instead we died here
On this crazy planet Earth
And we’ re born to carry on
Our soul comes to birth
Feb 2022 · 45
KARMA
Shamai Feb 2022
Karma

What is it that causes a person
To reach out beyond themselves
And think that they own everything
And not think of someone else
They move in on a country
With guns and armament
They bomb and over power
And create graves of monument
How can a person think of
Only their own empowerment
On the shoulders of the others
And create devourment
They close their eyes their ears their hearts
And no longer can hear other
Their sisters and their brothers
And even their own mothers
How can we break beyond the shell
Of personal entitlement
And try to get them to a place
Of pure enlightenment
For these kind of people
It won’t happen ‘till their death
Until they reach the underworld
And try with their last breathe
To ask for some forgiveness
For the hell they’ve precipitated
But karma tells them that instead
They pay for what they created
Feb 2022 · 55
more please
Shamai Feb 2022
A little bit of onion
A slice of cheese or two
I wonder where this is going
Will I end up in a stew
My mouth is very watery
My nose is twitching so
My taste buds are so grumbly
Where will this poem go
It’s important to remember
Just where our food comes from
Will it make my tummy happy
Or will I come out really glum
First please think of farmers
Who are growing all our food
Next give thought to helpful people
Who can be very shrewd
The food is grown the pickers pick
It needs to come together
Who is it that brings everything
Together no matter the weather
The growers the pickers the gathering crowds
The cooks the packers the stuff
Have all got to work together
So that we have enough
And don’t forget the travelers
Who brings things all to store
They carry they unpack they place the food
And even do much more
Did you ever think about all this
How food comes to your house
It takes much more than before you knew
And don’t forget your spouse
Who buys who cleans who prepares for you
So you can do your thing
If you’re lucky that person may indeed
Begin to dance and sing
Our stomachs may enjoy our meals
From taste to satisfy
But heart is where you want to be
If you want to reach the sky
So taste and satisfaction
Can come to us sometimes
But the love of a good friend
Can really toss up our enzymes
So all these words must mean something
Or this poem wouldn’t have be written
Be kind be loving be thoughtful and true
And you’ll find yourself so smitten
Feb 2022 · 190
humility
Shamai Feb 2022
I am human
And
I am less than more
When I think of myself
In relation to the world
I understand
That
More is less
I’ve learnt that
To be human
I must give up my ego
And accept humility
As my power
For it is only in being humble
That I can achieve
I am more than I was yesterday
And tomorrow
I may be less
By recognition
There is a power that comes
From knowing
That to be humble
Is to be
My truth
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