to sit, in stillness,

with open heart,

is truly the act of

awakening..

open to the wonder,

pain and vicissitudes

of daily life,

the path

to understanding manifests,

with clarity and brilliance...

how is this?

it is not explained,

fellow traveller -

only perceived,

not thought on,

yet deeply felt..

yet words are clothes

of slim fabric that

shield us barely

from the fire of attention

that is the true requisite

attire for this parallel journey

into the light..

I wish to share with you the joy,

I wish to salve the fear that strikes your heart,

I wish only for your consideration

to propel you into the vast arena

of undiluted trust and harmony

which awaits you

patiently, lovingly and

compassionately..

then I can discard the pen

and sit along side you

silently, eternally..

with bows

oh

to transcend

the mortal passion,

ignorance

and apprehension

locked within

this fearful human

experience!

the beauty,

majesty and

freedom

of sitting still..

ascension

relinquishing

body and mind,

light..

the ease with which

I touch

the death of personality

never fails

to arouse,

to settle,

to refresh..

emancipation from the death throes

of ugliness and hatred -

this is

my daily struggle..

I bow deeply for each time

I have realised

these simple truths

‘pon my journey

‘cross this tortured

tundra of life..

I give thanks

to the Treasures

that herald my daily

 awakening..

I do.

as the year reaches it summer climax,

our oval globe turns its northern face

inexorably closer toward the sun,

giver of glow and beam..

the verdant vegetation swells,

surrendering in humid intensity..

the very soil purrs in fecundity,

its serpentine inhabitants

wriggling this way and that,

providing the ether that fertilises

and gives succour to all manner

of life..

I too behold an passion, an excitement

that swells within my breast, filling

me with hope and elation..

I arise early -

already the sky, grey green,

presages the brilliant dawn that

comes apace and unchallenged..

a buoyant optimism abounds,

still on the right side of time,

the days gathering length and pace,

always the promise of longer days to come..

fuelling, like the most marvellous orchestra

of myriad perceptions, a gathering

crescendo of happiness and light..

noisily chattering, the sky-life

flitters this way and that,

bound for nowhere -

existing merely in this very

moment, for its own sake..

seemingly far distant,

that uncalled for zenith -

the peak, the turning point,

subliminally obscured and

presently redundant..

the moment when all

manner of truths alight,

and an autumnal murmur

gathers pace, silently seeking its

role in our unforeseen advance

into a new age..

but, for the moment

let us savour this freshness

and give thanks for this annual pilgrimage

toward the golden light..

our human, social, world

being continuously atremble,

awash, with intense indignation

affront and affray..

so easily and naturally

do we become sucked into its

manifestations,

scarcely having time

to breathe..

swept up, as we are

in self righteousness,

defending our

fragility..

our supposed

injustices become

dams that shore us up,

keeping ‘predators'

at bay..

shutting our eyes,

ears and minds

to possibilities

that error rests

upon our shoulders..

so quick as we are,

to shield our selves,

do we cast culpability,

scattering seeds, nay boulders 

of protective disenchantment

with our fellow voyagers

to all four corners

of our barren, windswept

defences..

let us still affairs

for just a moment.

it comes to pass

that, within a cherished silence,

we may open to

a clearer understanding -

a fairer discernment

of our social predicament..

casting an unjaundiced eye across

this vast panorama of

human mistrust and desolation,

it is not possible

to allay the waves of

compassion and tenderness

for the poverty within compatriot hearts,

that causes these overwhelming

feelings of alienation and despair..

oh, to trust that all

works out for the common good!

it is thus that I live my life;

I refuse to succumb to

the detritus and depths

of internecine depravity

and vow to hold my own -

follow my best instincts

and survive to

live another day

in truth, love

and joy..

daily contemplation:

freefall without

a parachute..

default location of awareness..

 both the hardest

and the easiest

human endeavour..

the insufferable burden of thought

becomes

the inconceivable buoyancy

of being;

trust being the key to

unlocking the fear,

misgiving and judgement

that invariably

clouds responsiveness

in the initial stages

of reflection..

"I am tired,"

becoming

"here, now."

daily contemplation:

freefall without

a parachute..

default location of awareness..

 both the hardest

and the easiest

human endeavour..

breathing in,

I am all things..

breathing out

I am no thing..

dissatisfaction and contentment

pulsing, merging and evaporating..

a prandial excursion,

rising and falling,

the angst and the bliss..

all are as one -

history

of  life absent,

 death lived..

moving on,

consciously,

subliminally,

all is as one:

account unfolding -

 movement

within stillness.

it is not enough

to speak and write well..

it is not enough

to be heard to be

doing the right thing..

it is only enough

when life IS justly discharged

in the light and action

of truth..

when nobody sees,

and no one knows -

a cloak of invisibility

obscures rightful deeds

performed in the right way

simply because:

that IS the way to be..

I vow, therefore,

never to write another word

which seeks to redeem me

without aspiration to live

a nobler life..

too often the word is disaffected

in the deed..

vouchsafe, not another phrase

will escape my pen, save

to countenance a thought

that is practised in endeavour

and realised in

accomplishment..

with bows

the universe breathes me,

renouncing restraint,

abandoned to

 this very instant..

the universe breathes me

 brilliance enfolds my perception,

 boundaries dissolve..

a rush of tenderness,

all encompassing compassion..

emergent galaxies,

passing away within thought..

wishing for nothing,

surrendering being within the

love that overwhelms..

the universe breathes me,

every sound, every thought,

each moment serves with gratitude

awe and wonder..

 floating eternally within

a boundless, supple

  womb

of understanding..

waves of nectarine ambrosia

distil the essence of my being..

the universe breathes me,

all deities past present and future

embrace me within their loving arms..

we are one,

all is one..

love personified,

consumed with  monumental

gratitude and affection

for this boundless world,

mesmerising infinitude,

gargantuan beauty,

 endless grace,

compassion and light..

behold the loving palms

of wisdom

ripples of joy!

the universe breathes me,

awakening

into a dawn

of knowledge

that dissipates fear

and trepidation,

 walking ever onward,

bolstered by the peaceful

 strength of enlightenment..

the universe breathes me.

such

gentle amble

through an afternoon's

retreat,

no goal,

no scurry,

time to look around..

a placid landscape

echoes the sweep through

 personal history

that runs parallel

to my itinerary..

so much to ponder

so many moments

to savour,  regret

and wonder..

all these events

leaning, simply,

to now..

from whence they flow,

many tributaries

chance, destiny

call it what you will:-

a knowledge,

deep in one's heart, that

it all makes ‘perfect sense,'

yet in truth lies far

beyond rational grasp.

moments stolen from the copybook

of circumstance..

such

gentle amble

through an afternoon's

retreat,

no goal,

no scurry,

time to look around..

like those silent letters

within words

which inform meaning

yet have no aural substance,

do our illusions

obscure ‘reality'..

how we blind ourselves to these!

or is it that familiarity, that comfort

which so deadens our response?

why then do these silent beasts

so perturb me?

today poses more questions

than answers..

is it so within our innate

constitution to complicate

what is merely simplicity?

I tire of elaboration,

wish merely to get to

the crux of things..

I have no time for embroidery,

but like simple patterns

which speak unadorned truth;

delay is a crime, detour pointless..

sing me the sounds that speak

directly to my heart,

my soul, and I will mouth

praises for eternity!

even learning to love

the clumsy, burdensome,

myriad manifestations

which form the rich,

unexplored tapestry

of my waking dreams..

less desirous,

less expectant,

clearer does my life become..

the nearer I reach

an unabashed openness and humility,

the richer does my experience manifest

simplicity, goodness and transparency..

so very hard to relinquish cherished habit;

the key to wisdom is to see one's attachment

just for what it is..

a barrier to development...

mara holding one back

to control, dominate

ultimately to deaden,

defuse joy and abandon..

never will I encourage a grasping mind,

forever vigilant ‘gainst the temptation

to possess..

I want an open heart,

I wish for nothing more..

gladly do I disinherit all worldly aspiration,

just to dwell in the heart

of the moment..

forsake all inheritance

save a full life lived

with honesty and

integrity.

with bows,