don miguel comes around the house every now and then

a simple, humble, wise, quiet, beautiful old man

all his life, he told me, he has sharpened knives for everyone

people need sharp knives to carry out their daily tasks, he says

a dull knife is useless, i keep it sharp for them

he keeps my heart enlightened

a withering tree slowly dies amidst the power lines

there is beautiful poetry in the lines of movement created by the tree’s bends and its leafless branches, even in its final stages of life

let us be mindful of our actions

let them be guided by light and love

care for your home, this planet we are blessed to be in

a beautiful metaphor of life, the flower.

starts out as nothing, until the plant senses that conditions are perfect.

it then quickly unravels, an explosion of aroma, texture, color and shape.

twisting and curving, shining like the sun, a gift to this world.

the flower is a universe that mediates the union of male and female to reproduce.

and, like all life on this planet, it comes, it grows, it blooms, and it dies.

red brushstrokes dance tickles on a little girl’s cheek

they come together to form a big heart

which is exactly what describes this moment

young or old, love breathes life into your soul

let it shine

how do we communicate?

we attempt to use numbers and figures, words and symbols.

but only too often, these are the grounds for miscommunication, which leads to confusion, fear, hatred, violence.

how else can we understand one another?

the language of the heart is universal.

if we could all tune in to our hearts and learn to love each other as one, communication would be easy.

a compassionate smile can say and do more than all the words the mind has ever created.

life is a constant threshold

you are free to open or close the door

to go through or to stay put

this is your choice

you can choose to be open to give, open to receive

if you open your self, the world opens to you

dawn yielding to sun rising over península de osa

at its emptiest, the low tide reveals the rock lines at the bottom of the ocean

waking with the sunrise, the slombering waves begin to swell

a dog sticks its tongue out, its gaze fixed on a bird nearby.

its whole behavior is transfixed by the roar in its belly.

a fascinating force within us takes control.

the cells in our bodies orchestrate an unexplainable demand to live, to grow, to thrive, to consume.

like a fire inside, we are obliged to keep feeding it, so that they may keep on going.

this desire to live keeps the world turning, always moving, never stopping.

sitting alone on a cold bench in the middle of a stairwell in hong kong, an old lady rests her tired, anguishing bones.

clutching at her belongings, she seems to be hanging on to life itself.

a ray of warm light bursts through the clouds, slips between the oppressive buildings, lighting her soul on white  fire.

humans can behave like pigeons.

looking only for bare necessities, we can live our days in a hunger that is never satiated,  caring only for ourselves and nothing else.

but we can, at times, work seamlessly together, and soar through the sky in harmonious synchrony.

all as one.

the choice is ours.