Velvet Lies

I've cried a thousand times before

Leaving a broken heart crashed on the floor

So tired to pick up each pieces

I just left it behind feeling numb, full of bruises.

Now I realized you didn't love me at all

It shows in your eyes like a reflection in a mirror

A horrifying sight, the end of my world

My destiny so sad, I have no one to hold.

I just woke up from this real nightmare

Glad that I am strong and I could stand still

You open up my mind how can be a darling so deceiving

You broke my heart, you took my all and everything.

Time helps mending the pain, put back the pieces in place

I wonder where you are now, I just wish you could live your life

Without those velvet lies as your masquerade of love

One day you will realize darling, if you find no one by your side.....

Forever Longing

This yearning in my heart
This confusion in my mind
The words left unspoken
Haunts me all the time

Everyday I watch pass by
With an emptiness in my life
And a hole in my heart
Where only you belong

There are nights I wake up crying
And wishing you were here
To hold me in your arms
And kiss away my tears

There is something that keeps me holding on -
What I'll never know
But one day things will go my way
And I'll have you in my arms...

A Bleeding Rose

A park bench he sat
There in the distance, he saw her sitting with tears in her eyes.
All alone
She sat in silence with butterflies all around.

Many roses grew in the garden behind
Red, yellow, white, and pink, all entwined with each other.
Fresh drops of dew sitting
Upon each petal, a glistening twinkle is seen.

In the sky above her
A sparkling rainbow, showers a glow to encompass her.
Capturing her soul
Beauty smiles upon her once again.

To her eyes
The sparkle returns, enchanting the rainbow further.
With a smile
He stands and walks over to her.

One yellow rose with red streaks
He hands to her, and with a soft gentle touch, he wipes her tears away.
He whispers to her
This rose bleeds enough; your soul needs not bleed anymore.

A kiss on her hand
He wipes her last tear dry.
As he walks away
He turns and thanks her for sharing her beauty.

I MISS YOU

I Miss You...
when something really good happens
because you are the one,
I want to share it with you...
I miss you....

When something troubles me
because you're the one,
who understands me well....
I miss you....

When I laugh and when I cry
because you are the one,
who makes the laughter grow and the tears disappear..
I miss you...

You don't know
how much I miss you
I live each day
as it comes
functioning in all my tasks
smiling when needed
even laughing at times
but inside I am so alone
each minute seems like an hour
each hour seems like a day
What makes this time bearable
are my thoughts of you
Though you are not here
wherever I go or whatever I do
I see your face as my reflection
and I miss you so
I miss our eyes
secretly giving each other confidence
I miss your touch
I miss everything we share
It is a very cold and lonely feeling
I wish that I could be
with you right now
where the warmth of our love
would melt the winter snows
Sometimes it is
a memory of something we shared
Other times it is
an incident in my life
that I imagine myself
telling you about
No matter what it is
in my mind, I write and call you every day
But since I can't be
Wherever you are right now
I will have to be content
just hoping for the day
when we'll be together again....

For you my F.R.I.E.N.D

Your hickied mischievous laughter,
Your chocolaty beaming visage.
Your miniature sleepy eyes.
Your flavour for jeans and tees.
How many afternoons we’ve depleted,
Laughing – gossiping – bitching in your or my room.
How many gifts and cards we’ve given each other.
In cheerfulness and in gloom.

Remember the last time we fought on your birthday last year ?
Remember how you cried in my embrace ?
The many uncounted evenings we spent at the beach.
The way your feet began tapping to everything hummable.
The lunch breaks at school,
The scout camps and dance rehearsals.
The times I picked you up for coffee,
The hang-outs with your friends.
All the hand-crafted friendship day cards n gifts,
All the spaces we ventured out together.

Long since I hugged you tight,
Ever since we had that fight,
I will not say I’ve spent sleepless nights,
Ruminating over wrongs and rights.
I was reading under a solitary candle,
When your thoughts came breezing by.
And yet again nostalgia came alive.
The way you sulked when I didn’t call,
The way you narrated your beloved’s every word.
The way held each other for an extended moment,
Everytime we met.
I learned how to move on,
I learned how to live,
I learned how take,
I learned how to give.

What I couldn’t learn was why.
Must we adore our ego more than we should.
Must we concur to nurse a lonesome heart.
Must nothing last forever.
Must friends plummet apart.

All over again

The last time I saw you grin,

When you were trying your new shirt.

The childish delight written all over you face,

Like you’re beholding a cherished possession.

I fell in love with you.

The last time you puckered your lips,

When assembling your papers,

In frown and in attention,

Eyes brought close, brows stitched taut.

And the iris inert, like you had no thought I was near.

I fell in love with you.

The last time you walked out of the shower,

Running into the room shivering,

and quivering off the dainty droplets,

That gleamed in the morning ray.

I fell in love with you.

The last time you rang the bell,

And I opened the door to find you

With that hood on your head

Dripping water down to your face

And gliding towards your lips

That beamed in a big smile.

I fell in love with you.

The last time you stopped in the middle of the road,

And asked me “do you know how much I love you ?”

How it felt all over again,

To know what you are,

To know what it means to be yours.

To be who I am,

and know that I needn’t change.

Coz you love me just the way I am.
And I do for who you are.

The last time I felt this way,

Which perhaps was last night...

I knew I was in love all over again.

Thoughts unexpressed

If you have dreams and you have yourself,

Then there’s no going back.

Rejuvenation of smothered hind sights and sporadic splendours,

Long entwined into unfathomable innocence

Will be recast on your malaise present.

When your broken heart becomes pejorative for your crestfallen self.

But don’t give up…

You are awakening,

pen down your jargon

And meet your maker.

Move along with gusto,

Peruse the hints.

Jettison the entailed retrograde.
No more sacrileges,

No intimidation by void conjectures.

Our saviour faire will ensemble our souls.

And the callous past shall melt.

Whilst umpteen wishes of kith and kin engender your halcyon days.

Genesis begins with dreams,

where,Cacophony evolves into prudent mush.

And the sapiens we are

It becomes easier to be, easier to live.

Never genuflect to condescending vibes.

Rather embrace sagacity

and be the quintessence of an existential soul.

Unwary of life’s conundrum.

Until again we meet…

Flanked by a tombstone
and derelict of two broken lives,
slumber unchained melodies
you and I tried to write.
Some we sang and hit octaves high.
Some we wrote in half notes and half words.
And then there were some,
where we were in trounce for chords or verbatim.
That was when our destiny twirled

For you drifted off to eternal sleep.

Your pristine self bequeathed me with memoirs.
Days ceased to be days,
and nights no longer looked velvet like.

And the dawns and dusks
wordlessly swam into each other.
Perhaps, this is how it shall be.
Yet everytime I sit by your grave,

And weep with the weeping willows.

I hold the roses I bring for you
and tell our souls everyday,
“Tread the tranquil world loved one,

Fly, rise high, and shine.

The broken lives shall resurrect,

Redemption shall evolve from chimera discreet.

Until then,
walk the frosted heath of serenity,

angel,

until again we meet.”

Descending to Hell

It was a usual day, the same as every Monday. I queued up in the line at star bucks in the busy shopping area of John F. Kennedy Airport, Waiting for my morning coffee. The queue was rather long as it was everyday. After around 10 minutes I got to the front of the queue.
“Black coffee, please. 2 Sugar.” “OK sir, anything else?” “No thanks.”
I handed the woman the money, stirred my takeaway coffee and made my way to my terminal. I got to the ticket check in and handed over my ticket. I then got searched by security. They found nothing, so let me through to the tunnel. Within a few minutes I was sitting down on my booked seat. It was the same routine that I go through everyday.
More people started to board the plane. I laid back and tried to relax. I ordered another coffee and a fried breakfast from the woman, with the beverage trolley.
More people boarded the flight. Most business men and women like me but only some tourists and holiday makers. After around half an hour everyone was on board and waiting for take off. The pilot came on the radio and went through the normal things. Like safety in case of a crash, and where we were going, how long it would take. I hated the safety talks, what are the chances, of this plane crashing in only a one hour flight, which the pilots had done many a time before?
I tried to ignore him, and laid my head back on the head rest and tried to get some sleep.
I was woken up by the roaring of the jets engines starting up. I looked out the window. Everything seemed normal. So I got back to sleep again. But couldn’t because of the noise off the jet, so I just starred out the window and tried to enjoy the sights of it taking off. I spotted lots of skyscrapers, and famous sights. But soon we were out of New York, and heading for Los Angeles.
I looked up to the flip out screen, which was playing a movie “The Bourne Ultimatum”. I hadn’t seen the film before, so I bought some headphones from the trolley hostess, and tried to concentrate on it.
Fortunately there was nobody sitting next to me, so I had no distractions.
After a while I got bored of the film, so yet again, I laid my head back and tried to get some sleep. Within a few minutes I was.
After around 10 minutes I was awaken by a huge sound, of metal hitting metal. I suddenly jumped up, smashing my head on the plane roof above me. It cut my head; blood trickled down between my eyes. I looked around. People started panicking and started running down the isles, trying to discover the problem. Hostesses told us all to get down and relax. So we did, but what made it harder, was when I looked out the window. And saw the left engine of the plane start smoking. I panicked looking around, thinking what to do. I shouted for help, so people came over and looked out of the windows too. The next thing we knew was the engine suddenly shaking violently. And within in a second, another huge bang, as it caught alight. We were still being told to sit down, and relax. But how the hell could I? When the plane engine, right next to my seat, was nearly falling off? I sat down, starring at it, just waiting for it to give way. And it sure did. It starts shaking twice as much, then without a bang or anything sudden, just dropped off and floated down, through the clouds.
The plane then starting tipping and diving to the right. It sent the luggage above our heads coming down, and landing on us. I stood up into the isle, and then suddenly a man shouted “Look out!” The beverage trolley was flying down the isle, very fast. I dived back into my seat just as it flew past me. It smacked into the pilots cabin door, sending the crisps, chocolate bars, alcohol, and very expensive bottles of champagne flying into the air, and smashing in a big heap on the floor.
More loud bangs starting going off. More people screaming. More people panicking. I felt really helpless. But this plane was going down, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I just sat there as the plane was falling apart. There was one bang that went off at that moment louder than any of the others. It was the tail of the plane. It all started breaking off. And just like the engine. Just fell off, into the heavens below and sent at least 30 people going with it.
I made my way to a new empty seat, just a few rows away from the cabin. The next thing that happened was an old woman, who ran through the isles screaming that the right engine had also blown up.
I can’t believe that the pilots had actually kept the plane this steady for this long. But that was history now. The plane was diving even more to the left, and for the first time actually spun right round but didn’t stop. It just span round and round. And people everywhere were being sick. And screaming at the top of there lungs. I clung on to my seat as hard as possible, but still found my self being thrown round like a rag doll. I quickly got a glance out of the window. We were only a few hundred feet away from hitting the ground. I new this was it.
I even found myself nearly crying, but then I thought to myself. It won’t be that bad, I would be dead before I knew it. So I just clung on, and hopped for a miracle.
Another glance out the window, and I saw that the ground was so close, that I could touch it. Now this was it, this was the touch down. I clung on twice as hard as before so hard that it hurt. But the mass of adrenaline was helping me keep on.
I felt the huge impact of the side of the plane, hitting the solid floor of the ground. It hit it, and kind of bounced up. It was skimming along the ground, at tremendous speeds before the last impact, where the whole front of the plane just crumpled up. I looked down the isle, and the floor was just crumpling up, bringing the entire plane with it. Within a second it hit me.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up.
“Sir, we have arrived at the destination. I hope you have enjoyed your flight” Said one of the hostesses.
I giggled to myself. It was only a dream!

Snippet

I went back to my book feeling content. The piece I was inspecting was an ancient watch, at least a century old. European-made, gilt and ornate, it had clearly belonged to someone of importance. The curlicued hands were frozen at a quarter past three. I was sure the exact identity of the watch awaited me in my volume on timepieces, and the unravelling of the mystery held all of my attention.

Half an hour later, the clouds outside were boiling black, rain hammering against the window panes in howling gusts. The steam was floating up from the last sip of my chocolate and I knew the watch had been made in Vienna in 1723 by a well-known manufacturer. All that remained was to determine who it had been made for, and the family crest of wolf and olive branch was my final quest. I was reaching for the top-most shelf for the heraldry guide when another gust of freezing air slammed into my back and the roar of the storm entered the room again.

I whirled around, cursing myself for forgetting the latch, and froze.

In the doorway stood a small woman in black, dripping wet from head to toe, her shoulders heaving. My hand fluttered to my throat. “Madam? Can I help you?''

The wind swirled around us, swallowing my voice. She was utterly still. I took a step toward her. Dark eyes stared back at me from beneath straggled hair that hung to her waist.

“Ma'am? Are you all right?”

I almost told her the store was closed, but something stopped me. I clutched my shawl closer around my shoulders and went to move past her to close the door, but she held out one black gloved hand to stop me, and something sparkling and golden slithered to hang from her fingers.

“Please.” Her voice was a low growl, almost one with the storm. She glanced over her shoulder, and back. “Take it. Quickly. Keep it safe.”

The firelight glinted off something oval-shaped, trembling in time with her fingers. A locket. I reached out and wrapped my own fingers around the chain. It was warm, even in the freezing air. She let go of it as though the thing had burned her, and before I could even open my mouth she whipped around and made to flee.

She stopped just as suddenly in the doorway, staring up at the raging sky, and staggered back a step. In the next blinding flash of lightning, the black shape of a man filled the frame. I gasped.
The woman stumbled backwards until she fetched up against the counter, leaving wet footprints on the boards as she went. The man strode in after her, a black cape sweeping behind him. They stared at one another for some time without speaking a word, while all the while a current of dangerous electricity seemed to swirl through the room, snapping at our heels. I was nothing more than a spectator until he grasped her by the shoulders and began to shake her.

“Stop.” My voice welled up before I realised I’d spoken. “Stop it at once.”

When he turned to face me, my heart stilled.A smile broke across his gloomy expression. “Ah, Mrs. Griffin. It’s been a long time.”

All the while he continued to clutch the other woman by the shoulders. I could see her eyes, round and stunned, staring at me. “Benjamin Cole.” I reached toward the righted umbrella stand, seeking something to beat him off with if necessary. “I didn’t think you frequented town any longer.”

His dark eyes were not smiling. “You don’t believe all you hear, do you, Charlotte?”

Hearing my name from his lips quickened my pulse. “It depends, Ben. On how likely the story sounds. And on what behaviour one observes with one’s own eyes.” I nodded to his prisoner, who seemed to be shrinking by the minute. “Perhaps you should unhand the lady.”

He cast a glance back down at her, then back at me. “Do you plan to assault my person if I don’t?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Certainly.” The umbrella in my hand had a steel tip and a decent weight, suitable for stabbing him in the leg or beating him across the head, whichever was required. The thought alone brought me some level of satisfaction.

Between the Lines

A memory wavered into his mind, shimmery as heat rising off the road in summer.

He was six years old, and he’d been in Stonehaven no more than a week. He was hollow and lonely, confused. He missed the bustle of Melbourne. He missed the other kids on his street, the whole gang of them and their scampy games. He was stuck out in the bush, all of a sudden, with nobody but Lionel for company. Lionel had spent the first day ignoring him completely, and the last few beating the stuffing out of him whenever he got the chance. So that day, he’d wandered out to the back garden, if it could even be called that- just a scrubbed, flat expanse of hot red dirt with a veil of tangled trees and shrubs behind it.

The bush.

On impulse, he’d taken a couple of steps toward it, bare feet burning on the hot ground. The air was filled with the lemony scent of eucalyptus and the fresh tang of the distant sea. He'd filled his lungs and the two steps had turned into six, then ten, then before he knew it he was running headlong toward the wall of whispering green and brown, pushing all his mother’s warnings about snakes and savages from his head. He barrelled between the first spicy-scented leaves and, to his surprise, popped out on a sort of beaten down track, hidden from view of the house. After a moment’s pause to wonder how many strokes of the belt he’d get for this, he set off down the track toward the most interesting noise he’d heard so far- the babbling giggle of flowing water, and laced in with it, the high, clear notes of a girl’s voice, singing.

He stepped off the track with his heart hammering in his chest, suddenly terrified as he caught side of the wide river bank and the rolling mass of glassy green water.

She was standing there, all right- a girl not much taller than him, skinny as a rake, skin the golden brown of tree bark lit by sun. A cascade of golden curls rolled over her shoulders to skim at her waist, tendrils flicking out here and there as she drew back her arm and lobbed a big rock into the water.

He watched it go, traced the arc with his eyes until it hit the water with a loud splash and was swallowed. She was singing, still, her voice high and clear. She was wearing a white dress that finished at her knees and puffed into short sleeves at her shoulders. He looked down at himself, his grey shorts and jumper coated in jam, dirt and everything else he’d been busy with that morning. He stared at her back with suspicion. She was pristine. The only dirty bit of her was her feet, bare as his.

If it hadn’t been for those feet, he might have thought she was an angel. Or a ghost.

Root Cause Analysis

It’s a story about those days, not so long ago, when reading was not a hobby but an activity that I would engage in only occasionally. Poetry, painting and drawing had become hobbies of the past. Come weekend and there was plenty of time but nothing to do.
I would pick up my mobile, scroll through the list of contacts and call up friends one after the other. Movie, lunch, dinner? Sometimes, a friend would agree and we would have fun. Other times, I would hear from all of them that they had already made other plans or that they wished to rest at home or that they were broke or …..
So I would sit on my bed all day in a godforsaken PG (paying guest accommodation) and get bored.
One day, unable to stand this boredom any longer, I decided to go shopping all alone.

I went to Commercial street. I bought a white skirt with pink floral prints on it. I ate American corn from one of the makeshift shops. I entered “Westside” thinking I would only window shop. After three hours I came out of the shop with 4 Salwar Kameez suits and a stole in my shopping bag. I bought 3 pairs of earrings from a street hawker. Although I was not hungry, I entered Woody’s and had cauliflower fritters and some “Pesarattu”.

I bought a pair a beige coloured angle boots which would go well with a long skirt. It was 7 PM. I had spent a good 7 hours shopping. I decided to return. I came back to my PG (can’t say “I came home”) and flaunted my purchase to my roommates who exclaimed that the skirt and the suits were so beautiful. I looked forward to that day when I would try them all. I had spent 5000 rupees but what the heck, it was a great weekend.

This was the first of a succession of weekends that saw one after the other, the numerous malls of Bangalore, Brigade road, MG road, some more commercial street, more shopping, more eating and more spending.

It’s been a year now.
The white skirt with pink floral prints has not been tried once for there has been no occasion to wear it. The angle boots are still in the box for I haven’t found a skirt to go with it. I wore the stole only once and I don’t have a matching dress for the earrings that I bought. The cauliflower fritters and “Pesarattu” that I ate in Woody’s were soaked in fat and I really shouldn’t have had them.
In hindsight, the 5000 rupee worth pleasure that the weekend shopping had brought with it lasted only until the next weekend.

How mistaken I was in believing that shopping and spending would help me defeat the feeling of loneliness that engulfed me during those weekends!

Recently, as I watched a famous talk show, I learnt that people buy a lot of things out of compulsion without realising that they are doing it to beat the loneliness in their lives. It is their way of filling up the lacuna or vacuum in their monotonous, uneventful life. Spending time in malls and buying materials keeps them occupied, gives them pleasure (though temporary) and they deceive themselves into believing that their life is very “happening”. It’s a psychology “thing” that has actually been documented.

We forget that material possessions cannot satiate an individual beyond a certain limit. Shopping to kill loneliness is like an oasis in the middle of a vast desert....

One Knight's Passion

He stands tall and proud,
That brave knight in armor.
He takes the rain of arrows,
The barrage of sharpened rain drops
Piercing his body, creating
New rivers of red blood.
Normal logical thinkers of today
Will run to take cover.
But this one doesn't think rational.


He stands tall and proud,
The brave knight in armor.
He takes the powerful swings
Of swords, axes, and maces
With each swing bringing him
Closer and closer to death.
Those who fear death
Will dodge these fatal blows.
But this one doesn't fear death.


He stands tall and proud
That brave knight in armor.
He bears the constant fronts
Of the cold, numbing wind
As it sends its infantry and calvary
To bring the knight down.
People who wish to stay warm
Retreat to their hearths.
But this one doesn't seek warmth.


This brave knight in armor
Lives life with no concerns.
He faces pain and death
Without fear
Without worry.
People consider his bravery as foolishness.
He is taken as an imbecile with a mind
Half the normal size.
He is far from being an imbecile.
He has no desire to search for the non-existent
Luxuries of life.

He stands tall and proud
That brave knight in armor.
There is no dragon's fiery breath
No black knight's sword dealing death
No creature of the land or sea
Could keep him from possessing victory
There is no challenge he won't take
No quest too bold for him to make
No ties from which he wouldn't part
To win Luck lady's heart.

~~Extended ending~~

The glories and luxuries in life,
Found very rarely in his life,
Was soon considered as "far-fetched".
The knight fights on
Army after army
Without raising his sword.
He has risen his sword many a time,
Only to find that his strokes of death and murder
Were in vain.
He wasted so much of his talent and strength
So someone else has their needs met.
The pursuit of happiness was savagely beaten
Out of this foolish man's heart.
What is there to live for
Without the desire to be happy?

You can make a difference....

You can make a difference, every single day
You can make a difference, with every thing you say.
You can make a difference, to that stranger on the street
You can make a difference, with everyone you meet.
You can make a difference, by holding someone's hand
You can make a difference, by taking a stand.
You can make a difference, to someone who is sad
You can make a difference, and instead make someone glad.
You can make a difference, and make some smile
You can make a difference, by making it last a while.
You can make a difference, by making someone laugh
You can make a difference, and help them forget the past.
You can make a difference, by stop being greedy
You can make a difference, and help those who are needy.
You can make a difference, by helping a friend
You can make a difference, and be there till the end.
You can make a difference, to those who are near and far
You can make a difference, no matter who you are.
You can make a difference, just by being YOU
You can make a difference, with the simple things YOU do.

Ode to the First Ray of Sun......

O glorious ray of sun....
Sovereign of the day, You nurture all the creatures
You shine on one and all and no discrimination ever make

The sun seeking my shadow,My shadow hides behind me
And when I look at mad-show,The sun gazes to blind me

I want the sun to merge into me,And I could become illuminated.
I could not face sun's light, Or must I say, By light, it could never seek me...
But victory isn't gained by fight, A loser can be victorious like me

There are so many secrets hidden in your bosom which are yet to be revealed
That if and when the time comes much is to be known about life still concealed.

In fact the power and energy that flows to me, I daresay has a divine source
Because you are a centre and beacon of an universal being and the creative force.

And just as you really give so much and seem to ask for nothing in return
I humbly offer this Ode to you in praise which by your inspiration did learn.

And although most intelligent creatures hold you in such high esteem
Please also acknowledge my debt to you for allowing me to daydream.

No Time for Talk

I tried to tell you how it was,

How I was starting to fall out of love.
But, you never listened to me.

I tried to tell you that I noticed you were
Breaking away from my embrace.
I noticed that you stayed out a little longer each night.
I noticed we stopped having dinner together.
You went on more out of town business trips,
But no extra money came into the house.
I tried to talk to you about it,
But you always said I was out of pocket,
That it wasn’t like that.

I guess you were happy in your new world.
You didn’t need me bringing you down because,
You had someone else who was exciting your world.
I was turned into your slacker.

But don’t ever think I never knew.

I never had to go to Cheaters, because
I already knew we fell apart.
Then, I fell out of love,
Because you never listened to me

Even though I tried telling you many times...

And now, we are done.
I am gone...

I AM ALL.........

I am the lark that greets the dawn

I am the dew at early morn.

I am the wind that dances free

I am the beauty of what you see.

I am the laughter of children having fun

I am the glistening wave that reflects the sun.

I am god in every form

I am the pink reflection at early morn.

I am the orange fire of setting sun

I am birth and death of everyone.

I am every leaf of every tree

I am every blade of grass you see.

I am every grain of sand on all sea shores

I am the crashing wave and thunders roar.

I am the sole sustainer of all there is

I am the fiercest destroyer at my ease.

I am the sun that illuminates all planetary light

I am the twinkling stars through dark of night.

I am the state, where Truth is found

I am the wave of every sound.

I am the flavour of all you eat

I am rejuvenator in dreamless sleep.

I am the source of Loves state relate.

I am the grace, where you can

I am forever on the inside

I am the effortless flow of returning tide.

I am the splendour of every mountain

I am the sparkling jewels of every fountain.

I am the awe filled wonder of changing sky

I am the dancing fork of lightening nigh.

I am the bubble of joy in the baby's grin

I am the pure reflection that invites you in.

I am the Cosmic Intelligence behind it all

I am the weak, the strong, the short, the tall.

I am the root that suckles in Mother Earth

I am the umbilical cord of all new birth.

I am the creativity of all there is

I am the Pure Art, if you please.

I am the force in holding on, it's so

I am the power of Love in letting go.

I am the spring of Life, the only giver

I am the source of every river.

I am gratitude's note in the bird's song

I am the butterfly's path, as he floats along.

I am the goodwill, of Love in action

I am the reflector of light, beyond attraction.

I am pure innocence behind all form

I am the raging force in every storm.

I am the space where all unfolds

I am the Truth for you to behold.

I am the harmony in all you find

I am balance, for I AM Gods Mind.

I am the rainbows arc that illuminates your day

I am all, what more can I say.

I am the Master of every man

I am the stilling Void.

Oh Yes"I AM"

What's cooking.....???

1 generous handful of laughter. Laugh every day. If you find yourself not laughing frequently, something is wrong. Offer to walk your neighbor’s puppy dog, and let him lick you all over your face and stick his cold nose in your ear. That’ll get you giggling!
1 reserved teaspoon of religion. Spirituality is important for our emotional health. Whether or not you believe in the same things your family or neighbors do, ask yourself the challenging questions, “Why are we here?” “What’s my purpose in life?” You don’t have to go to a church to enrich your life with spirituality.
1 balanced teaspoon of rationality. While I think you should have a spiritual side, and you should help instill it in your children, and make everyone you know aware of what you believe, you must temper your religion with an awareness of the world. The world is very small and very dangerous these days, and our political decisions should be made not based on religion, but on who we think will best protect and serve our country and our world from a global perspective.
16 gallons of re-prioritization. Nowadays, it seems like “success” means a high-profile job, a well-padded bank account, a nice car, a great wardrobe. I’ve got news for you…none of these things will make you happy. Stop working so much and spend more time alone, more time with your family and friends. It’s okay if you make less money. You don’t need a new car and you can live without that new purse. (More on that later…) Your job is not your life. The people you love are your life.
1 heaping Tablespoon of temperament. Be nice to people. When something unfair happens to you, instead of yelling, try being extremely friendly. You’ll find that people are far more willing to work with you if you have a smile on your face, rather than veins standing out on your forehead. Life isn’t fair, and there are plenty of times when you’ll feel like you’ve been cheated. Instead of blowing up, calm down, relax, take a deep breath, and be patient. You’ll feel so much better afterwards, regardless of the outcome.
1 cup of anti-materialism. Stop buying new clothes. Don’t ever spend more than 750 rupees on a pair of jeans. You only need one, maybe two purses, and there’s never an excuse to have more than 6 pairs of shoes in your closet. You might think I’m crazy, but I’m telling you the truth. We spent far too much money on clothes. And on cars. A car is to get you from place to place. Period. If you want to throw money at something, spend it on your home, where you live and spend time with people you love. Better yet, spend it on travel. Real travel. That’s also called “continuing education.” The more things you own, the more you become owned by them. The more memories you have, the richer your life will be, and memories aren’t made from cars and purses.
2 cups of generosity. If you have money to spend on material things, give some of it away instead. As much as you can. You may think you’ll regret it, that you’ll miss it. You won’t. Spend your money on people you love, and on people who need help. It’s amazing how great it makes you feel.
2 gallons of awareness. We are multiplying at an incredible rate, and the planet will be seriously affected by the impact of so many human lives. We can’t operate the same way we have for the past century. We need new energy sources. We need to recycle every possible thing we can. Do you really need a bag at the grocery store when you buy two things? Do you really need a 6-cylinder car, or more than one car per family? “Simplify, simplify, simplify!” -Henry David Thoreau
1 occasional very deep breath. We’ve forgotten how to breathe deeply. At least once every hour, stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, breathe in through your nose as deeply as you can, and breathe out through your mouth as slowly as you can. Once every hour. Leave yourself a sticky note on your desk to remind you. At the end of the day, you’ll be shocked by how much better you feel.
10,000 words, preferably long ones. Turn off that television and read. Reading keeps your mind working in ways that TV never could. It enriches your vocabulary instead of limiting it. It lets your imagination run wild, instead of thinking for you. It teaches you that humor is far more complex and funny than what you see on the flat screen. It makes you smarter.
2 pounds of PDA. Well, maybe not a Public Display of Affection, but definitely a Display...and a regular one. Our culture is so paranoid of touch that we've become starved for it, as adults. Don't be afraid. Hold your friends. Kiss your parents. Hug people you've just met instead of shaking their hand. It may surprise them at first, but they'll remember how good it felt.
Prepare this recipe outdoors. If you’re stuck in the urban jungle, an important part of your life is missing. Get out under some trees. Better yet, climb one. Even if it’s only in a park. Take a nap in a hammock. Get your hands dirty. And at least once a month, stop everything to watch the sunset. That’s an order.
Cook thoroughly over Radiant Joy. Garnish with Smiles. Serve with Quietness, Unselfishness and Cheerfulness.
And you are bound to have a Tantalizing, Glorified and Happy Life…!!!

Don't Quit

Don't Quit darling...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems uphill.

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

and you want to smile,but you have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must . . . but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar.

So, stick to the fight when you're the hardest hit...

It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit...