A Halloween Tale

It was dark and stormy night, the night the evil pumpkins roamed the land. Hallow's eve, aka Halloween. The pumpkins let all the restless spirits lose, to leash havoc upon villagers. Many were those that shrieked in terror. Even the ever-fearless wolves howled in fear. The sight of the evil terrors that all squash were was enough to make one let lose of their bowels. It was prophesied that one would be born to bring down the reign of evil and send all pumpkins trembling down, down to the the very bowels of the earth. Little did the pumpkins know that the prophesied one would spring from their own loins, the sheep amongst the wolves. It they had known, surely they would have dispatched it at birth. When the one that is good was a mere seedling, a good spirit trapped in the earth latched on to it as a means of escape. They melded together and became as one. When the seedling poked forth from the soil for the first time it felt the cool rain refreshing its face. It was contaminated with the will to do good. So was the start of the end of centuries of domination of bad spirits.

The Old Tree

She stood regally in my backyard
A queen, who in old age had not lost her grace
Retaining dignity even in advancing years
Her branches reached towards my house
Almost touching my bedroom window
I knew she was my guardian
One of those beauteous creatures
Destined to protect vulnerable children
The Queen was more than just a guardian
She was my good friend
I loved to press my weight against her bark
Feeling its gnarled knotty surface
Rough, yet lovingly brushing my arm
I'd scamper high into her branches
Where she'd allow me to sit all day
Protecting and watching over me as I lay in her arms
Sometimes when I stood in the queen's presence
I was a jester in a throne room
Honored to entertain such a majestic tree
She must witnessed so much going on around her
What kind of people had lived in this house before I?
Had she seen many child friends grow up and move away?
She probably saw many kids play the day away
Laughing and dancing round her trunk
Even when I wasn't around her, she was in my thoughts
My favorite class in school became yoga
My favorite pose, tree
Standing there, arms outstretched
Reaching, reaching for the heavens
Feeling strength emanating through my body
Wisdom crossing over from the Queen to me
Through a sacred universal pose
We'd always be close, connected
Even though I'm joining the ranks of deserters
I, like others before me, was leaving the queen
A city bus is taking me away
Belching dirty smoke for its exhaust
I press my nose to its window
On last glimpse at my wise friend
Thanking her for the advice and friendship
provided to a lonely child
Knowing another soon will come
Giving her a gift
The gift?
The comfort of an old tree knowing its wanted and needed by children

Autumn Enchantment

Four seasons of the year
Each decidedly different from the rest
Of all of these, I love fall the best
I love to wear its colors
Reds, oranges, greens, and browns
Observe the leaves that bravely drop from the trees
Begging to be raked into a pile
I jump, and scatter them to the four corners of my backyard
The rich woody smell of change fills my nostrils
Halloween will soon be upon us
Restaurants begin selling Delicious flavors of pumpkin
Shakes, pies, muffins
Hordes of pumpkins litter farmer's fields
My mission becomes clear
Find the perfect pumpkin to carve
Create a spooky jack-o-lantern
Triangle eyes, full toothed sneer
Guaranteed to frightfully scare all tricker-treaters
Fall enables me to don another identity
On the night werewolves run wild
And Witches race through the skies
I knock on my neighbor's door's
Determinedly searching
For the delicious cavity haunted candy
Till we come to an old crone's house
Each taunting the next to rap upon it
If you dare, that is
Spirits roams lose
Creatures hibernate
Magic possess the air
And all children out to play
For you see, autumn is quite a enchanting time of year

Changing the world

what is changing the world? Giving the world a gift in the form of a child. Improving society? Planting trees? Helping one fainting robin unto its nest again says Emily Dickinson. Knowing one person has breathed easier because you have live, says Ralph Waldo Emerson. Being good to all those around you? Standing up for everyone rights even if your standing alone? Striving to free yourself by freeing all people? Is it simple? Or complicated? Can one do it by writing stories that affirm a child's self worth as Dr. Seuss did? Is it more than doing good? Does one have to BE good? Does one have to believe deep down that every living creature deserves to thrive and be happy? That no one is better than anyone else? That, we're all like flavors of ice cream, cookie dough has a different experience than vanilla, but once you get down to it, its all ice cream. Different, but the same. How do you change the world? How do you get people to open their minds and believe in something far greater than themselves? How do you teach than that everyone deserves love and respect? Even their enemies. Can you do it through words in addition to deeds? How do you get people to understand you want to help? How do you learn patience? Tolerance? How do you teach people something far different from what's be ingrained? Can you effectively, permanently change the world? Will society progress slide backwards? Language barriers get in the way? Are we heading towards the ideal society? Slowly but surely? With individual people stepping up along the way, helping others to see the light. Where lie the answers to my questions? Inside myself?

I am, among all, most richly blessed

I asked for strength, that I might achieve; I was made weak, that I might learn to humbly obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things; I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy; I was give poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for mediatation
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all, most richly blessed.

My painting

I must write what I feel. Words are the eyes I see the world with. They are every crumb of bread I put to my lips. It is one way my soul speaks to the earth and its creatures. Therefore, I employ language to translate the sensations which are the very essence of my being. Lately, I have been exploring a different medium of art. I've been painting. I started because I felt obliged. I continued because it opened my eyes to something new. My painting is a visual representation of how it feels when one steps from the darkness of ignorance to the light of seeing things for how they truly are. Plato did a remarkable job of illustrating this with his timeless allegory of the cave. My intention is to show this change through the painting of a rooster. This particular rooster lives on a cruel farm with many other chickens. He is resigned to his fate, but dreams of something better. Until one day,he learns he is about to be killed, and then, decides to explore his possibilities. Out of growing consternation, he ventures around the farm and discovers a hole in the fence. In a indecisive moment, he hesitates, but realizing he has nothing to lose, plunges boldly forward. As depicted in my painting, he runs joyously down a hill, flinging out his wing with the sheer bliss of newly discovered freedom. He has never felt so alive!
I choose a rooster because I have owned chickens throughout my childhood and they will always be close to my heart. When I look at this rooster I think how much it is like me. I too, was unknowing and content with my ignorance until the day I became more afraid of the darkness of close-mindedness. I chose to step out of the proverbial cave into the dazzling light of the sun. I was amazed at to discover the beauty around me that I couldn't see with my eyes closed. My painting has also opened my eyes. As I gaze as this rooster that miraculously appeared of my canvas I seek answers to how it will react. Will it go back to the farm to show others the hole in the fence? Will they listen and follow him to freedom? Or as Plato suggest, will they chose to mock him and his new reality, comfortable in accepting life as they think it has to be. To me to question is to live. You can only exist if you don't question, then seek answers.

My Power of Imagination

My daytime adventures and dreams do not end with the setting of sun
They continue through the passing of the night
My body is resting and relaxed
My mind, however, is a different story
Like the faithful clock that refuses to wind down
It tells me of olden times
Times of exploration and journeys
I embark on quests towards the furthest corners of my imagination
I roam boldly throughout strange lands
Discovering the power of belief
I am
I am
a curious child uncovering the mysteries of my back yard
I am
a knight seeking to rescue a town from the clutches of a fiery dragon
On some nights I want to see a story
My mind gladly cooperates
And when I drift away into slumber
I am carried to enchanted lands of yore
To times far away and forgotten
When we weren't afraid to wonder and question
I visit battles
I see common enemies unite under one flag
I drop in on people fighting evil that threatens their livelihood and all they stand for
It is such a glorious time for me
Words fail to capture the moment
I enjoy this privilege because I allow my mind to take the reins once in a while
I fear not curiosity
I am not afraid to question what I am told is real and unreal
I let the child within
-Out!
To run and play and skip about
Performing somersaults in the grass for an imaginary audience
Without worrying about grass stains
I fling back the curtains of doubt
Allowing myself to be
-FREE!
Thus my mind obliges and surprise me and takes me on trip to lands of wonder
I sleep a sleep fit for a king!