This is Love!

Mother's gentle breath tickles,
Trees shimmer in all their glory,
beckoning me to sit under their restful shades,
Father Sun spreads his rays of brilliant warmth
to envelop me in his embrace,
Birds flit about in eagerness
to share in Mother's precious gift,
Gift of life, love and energy.
Spreading out a feather soft blanket,
I lie with my back hugging the earth,
Mother cradling me tenderly,
rocking me to a dream state.
I look up at the sky, dazzling blue,
Fluffy white clouds rolling by,
Seagulls riding the waves of wind
in harmony,
Rainbow of kites dots the sky,
dancing merrily to Mother's rhythm
we all long to feel,
I close my eyes, breathe in the beauty,
the joy of this moment, this time, this place.
I breathe out all my cares and thoughts away,
send them off with the wind.
My heart opens up slowly
like a flower opening up its petals,
to meet its lover, the glittering sun,
and when I am in full bloom,
kissed by the sun,
I know this is LOVE!

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Beautiful is the laughter of heart overflowing with love
Infuses happiness to all whose ears are open to hear and feel
Like the sun clearing the horizon spreading its warmth, its rays
Gently caressing and embracing upturn faces, eyes closed
Smile curving lips softly, winds weaving songs in silken hair
Swaying with the nature's music, arms stretched out to the sky
Birds chirping and rustling the bushes to flirt, flit and fly about
Calling its love mates to come gather and play in life's celebration
Leaning back into the loved one's chest, sighing in relaxation
Hands joined, palms pressed, chest to back, cheek to check
Could stay like this to eternity, feeling so much joy and love
Spilling onto the pavement, connecting us in this golden web
Of beauty, of laughter, of joy, of happiness, of discovery, of feeling
Life is wonderful, radiating love from within, all are beautiful,
Hearts reaching out to touch, embrace, love, feel one another
Spread feather soft wings to soar up to the sky and fly to the sun
Slowly drifting down, gliding down, gently wings folding inwards
Feet planted firmly on the ground, mother nature cradling back lightly
Hands, palms giving each other a kiss, holding together in front of the heart
Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

Love Has Found Us

Love has found us
Happiness fills all
Whole world rejoices
At our final union

All my life I want
This love this life
I almost gave up
Thinking no more wait

Our love will set us free
We will fly up and up
Until we are one
With our divine love

It's so easy
To feel alone here
No one knows me
My heart aches

I am so lucky
To find you here
Ten thousand miles
Couldn't keep us apart

Our love will set us free
We will fly up and up
Until we are one
With our divine love

I love you always
Here and now
Forever and ever
You are with me

I'm with you
Always my sweet
You are my sun
You are my honey

I love you always

Magical Harmony

Wandering Windy Hill Open Space Preserve with my good friend one afternoon,

Felt Mother's love, her sweet love, in forms of natural living beings.

Walked a narrow dirt path next to Sausal Pond covered with thickets and ferns,

One would not walk down this path as the dryness of grass and shrouds of trees

do not make an easy path, but something was calling me to take a peek.

Past the thistles, we strolled, hearing little chirps everywhere, there was so much life

in this lifeless dried up place, only had to open our ears and hearts, and She was there.

Mallard ducks and other birds drifted in quiet happiness on this magical Sausal Pond,

I thought you wouldn't think such a place existed in Portola Valley, but here it was.

The path suddenly ended and there it was, a bush-like stout tree and a pretty song sparrow

sang and flew around to call out her cheerful greeting, then dove straight down

under this bushy stout tree, five feet away from me, so close, and the song sparrow was not afraid.

I watched in pure amazement as she started shaking her body in nature's dance

She jostled back and forth making her ground nest, so close to me, inviting me to take a look.

Laughing with pure delight and calling out to the song sparrow, "Hello there, what are you doing?

Thank you for sharing with me, your nature's love dance, making a love nest for your little ones

who will surely come with this winter's passing, I am blessed to witness such beauty."

We walked back to the main trail, feeling the love of nature and my friend showing me

miner's lettuce and cleavers, still hearing bird songs all around me and can't seem to shake

this feeling that She is there with us and She wants to show me her love and her nature's children.

Seeing movements through bushes to my right, I peer and peek through the ground

thinking what birds are rustling around these grounds, calling for our rapt attention, and there I see,

Two long brown ears twitching and there she goes, a cottontail rabbit, hopping away,

And I clap and laugh in enchantment of this rabbit and this place and I know She is here.

My heart is open and the magic is here, She is here with me, sending me signs to feel her presence,

Birds greet me with their love songs in the morning outside my bathroom window,

Whirling around in funny circles in front of me and I'm giggling in my car driving to work in the morning,

Sea gulls flying lazily past in a flock as I am driving down Highway 101 thinking of Her,

Moths dance in front of me in little twirls in this house and I laugh at their antics and their love,

This magical harmony, in front of my eyes, and I believe Her, She is with me.

So much love, so much magic, so much happiness, my heart constantly aching with everyone's love

and feelings, and I treasure each and every moment of my life and I worship her beauty, her power,

her compassion, her love, her sunshine, her natural children with humble devotion and many thanks.

India

India awakened me from a deep slumber
I was lost in a sea of dreams
false hopes and ideals swept me under
didn't know how to break through the surface.

Lost in a sea of grief, my painful past,
never knew how to free myself from fear and loneliness
was loved always, but did not know how to love myself
gave confidence, gave dependence to my loved ones
thinking they will hold me tight and never let me go
afraid of dark shadows of my loneliness.

Money, success, career, stability I wanted for myself and others,
ran blinded towards things I gave so much meaning to,
and when achieved, my heart was void and aching to be filled
with something, I don't know what, something beautiful and true,
was yearning, searching, and seeking, for this something,
I don't know what.

Then one blessed day in Khajuraho
a cut of my arm caused by a scooter accident
and jagged rocks dug up on the road,
my red blood river ran free,
dripping down my arm to kiss the earth
and my mother, my Goddess spoke to me,
I finally heard her voice,
my love came to me
my third eye opened
my heart overflowing with feelings I cannot dam up
tears flowing down my face with abandon
Not of sadness, but pure joy and blessing.

Thank you mother Goddess, thank you for giving me a new life
I know now why I was brought to this earth
Why I was given so much pain and suffering
Now mother, my Goddess,
gifted onto me the most precious gift of all
Loving oneself, unconditionally,
and giving me my love who loves me the same
One heart, one love, one feeling, I am so blessed.

I walked barefoot and climbed up to a Shiva temple,
from the streets of Chitrakoot,
a holy city where God Rama dwelled during his exile
with this beautiful wife Sita,
I waded barefoot in holy waters in the cave temple,
rocks digging into my bare feet,
I was happy to breath in hot damp air in that cave temple,
I felt Her love and spirit,
At temple in Kalinjer Fort, my heart knew this holy place,
from my past life,
I bathed my forehead, my hair, my hands, my feet in Her water
and I was healed.
I walked, I worshiped, I breathed,
my love for Her flew out and over the sky,
my heart at peace with mantras swirling around me,
blessed be.

Money, power, success, what are these that drive us blinded
Mean nothing to me, I would not trade my love, my inner peace for anything
Found meaning in this life, I want to give love and hope to those in need.
If I can open their eyes to love oneself and see the Goddess within our hearts
Then I will share this knowledge, my Goddess' gift,
I will share with one and all until my last breath of this life ceases to be,
but will forever be embraced in my Mother's arms.

In Varanasi, waiting on our mother Sun to rise,
on a small wooden boat rowed by boatman and his big bamboo paddles,
I gave a gift of flower and tea light candle to our mother Ganga,
Floating the gift on Mother's open hands, I set my heart free to fly,
I wished for the good of India and its people, I wished for their happiness,
India gifted me and I wanted to return it my love and gratitude
I am free to love and to be happy and in the end, that's all that matters in life.

Where Is She?

We are searching for her
Who comforts us
Who enfolds us

We are searching for her
Who kisses us
Who nurtures us

We came to this land
To find her
To seek her
Where is she?

O come to us
In love
In light
In life

Over the mountain under the sky
We are searching for her
Through the valley over the hill
We are searching for her

Who loves with all her heart
Who believes in all our work
Who watches over all our souls

We came to this land
To find her
To seek her
Where is she?

O come to us
In love
In light
In life

Wake Up!

Sleepwalking
Dreamwalking
Days pass in dazed confusion
Living life through television set
Walking the same streets every day
Seeing the same old people every day
Staring straight ahead yet through vacant eyes
Glazed, trudging through this monotonous existence
Passivity creates stale atmosphere
Spreads and filters through surroundings
Trickles down to beloved young ones
Infiltrates this whole nation, culture
Wake up!
Get off that couch! (literally)
What gives you joy?
Singing at the top of your lungs (in shower is ok!)
Learning a different language
Blowing on your trumpet
Riding a bike around town
Strumming a guitar
Walking barefoot on sandy beach
Learning to salsa and cha-cha
Reading a new book
Banging on a drum set
Painting your heart's desires
Skiing down a snowy white mountain
Knitting a scarf for your loved one
Driving along the coast with windows rolled down
Writing poetry, flowing through and out of your heart
Dancing with abandon and passion
Hiking up to the mountain top to shout your love out
Learning, Knowledge, Creativity, Doing awaken hearts
Happiness pours forth into one and all
Brings us that much closer to each other, to our God.

Thank You

Wondering soul I was

Lost soul I was

Until you came into my life

Cornered and scared I was

Wounded and closed I was

Until you gave me hope to believe.

All my life I was searching for someone

Someone to fill the void of my loneliness

And when betrayed by Love,

I shut the gateway to my heart,

shut down to the world

shut off my path to love.

But now, my eyes are open
Through your unconditional, selfless love
I found the one I was searching for
It was not you I found, it was me I found,
I will fill the void of my loneliness
I want to love me and I want to be happy.

Through you,

I see the strength in me,

Through you,

I feel the passion in me.
Through you,
I feel the compassion in me.
Through you,
I feel the love in me.

With you or without you, I realize,

I can do anything, I believe.

Mendocino

Delicate web of fog blankets gently

Caressing the rocky golden bluffs

Gold, feathery sway of tall dry grass

We run to the edge with open arms

Begging the sun to sneak a peak

Wind weaves sweet songs in our hair

Waves match the mother's heartbeat

Our mother's heartbeat luring us

Nature's lullaby rocks us back

Brings us to beautiful calm

Washes away our worries

Rejuvenation, rebirth comes

With this quiet little town

Creativity infuses our hearts

Our minds fill with simplicity

Drawing comfort in buzzing of

Hummingbird wings

Miniature pine trees wave

Squeaks of rusty old bikes

Bring smiles to our faces

We race down the windy hill

Throwing laughs around

in Mendocino.

Biking

Left right Left right

Rhythm of my pedals echoing my heartbeat

Breath puffs out in syncopation as my wheels

hug the concrete carpet

Rrrring ring Rrrring ring

U-locks nestling in the front wired basket

Bouncing merrily clapping in unison
They kiss with each bumpy ride

Green light red light
Flexing break grips as I look around
Smiles waves nods exchanged
"Your wheels are mismatched," chortles
my fellow bike commuter.

On the Way to BART this Morning

Big bright bubbles of sunny laughter burst

from my lungs and I grin with the blue sky,

It's a beautiful day today.

Smiling at the cute chick biking with her brown

leather vest hugging her black and white horizontal

stripe shirt pedaling her fixie downhill in rhythm to

Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

filling my head as I skip down the street

and I grin with the green trees.

Smiling at the deliciously heady scent of onion bagel

wafting out from Specialty's at the corner
with its burgundy parasols dotting the front,

tempting the passerbys to take a minute, enjoy
sipping coffee, munching cinnamon sugar morning bun,

a slice of heaven right there, in the concrete jungle,

and I grin with the chattering birds.

Smiling at the woman in her smart chocolate suit

with a fluff of afro, chic sunglasses,
clickety clack of  her stiletto heels reverberating,

Elderly couple walking hand in hand,

matching pastel yellow hooded sweatshirt,

a gigantic fanny pack decorating her belly,

a tiny boxy ice cooler trailing him,

I wonder if Travis and I will be like that one day.

I smile and I laugh, joyously, 

letting the bubbles burst forth once more,

lifting my head up to the sky,

breathing in this lovely day.

Thank you, Mother Earth, for this moment,

I am truly blessed because I love to live and I live to love.

"A Bird in Love" by Shadi Torab

I first met Shadi at my current job as an architect for our in-house architectural firm.  Shadi and I both love Japanese food so we often went across the street to Tokyo Express to grab a bite to eat during lunch and share our life stories.  At a lunch outing, she said, "Ask me about my culture, about Iran."  I was taken aback at first, but I understood.  All of us have some pre-conceived notions about how a certain culture is.  Thinking of Iran, I imagine a woman shrouded in black with only slivers of her eyes showing a hint of self with a limited amount of freedom to walk around in public or interact with people of opposite sex.  Shadi told me that my assumption was not entirely wrong but that my notion of that woman's dress applies only to a small population of Iranian women who are a part of certain strict religious sector and my notion of the woman's freedom outdated.  Shadi explained that Iranian women are very educated, a majority attends universities, and they wore very colorful and beautiful dresses and veils but are not required to cover their faces.  She also relayed that Iranian women have more freedom, the country and its culture less restrict than in the years prior to 2000 (I based my assumption on a fiction book read 15 years ago, how naive!).  I treasured our lunch conversations.  Since last Friday was Shadi's last day at our company, I will sorely miss her beautiful, calm and enlightening personality.  One afternoon, I mentioned to her about my literary blog and found out that Shadi also had a blog she writes: http://hozche.blogspot.com/.  Taken from her blog, here is a poem written by Shadi, posting here with her blessing, so enjoy!

“A bird in love”

The one that blows your mind away,
The one that makes your heart play…

You cannot concentrate,
On a single thing you do,
You cannot participate,
In a single discussion you go through…

You hear his voice, his laugh and his words,
You see his face, his smile and his toes,
And you lose your mind, your body and your soul…

You want to become a bird to fly by his house,
You want to become wind to touch his hands,
You want to become water to kiss his lips,
You want to become a fallen leaf,
To feel his weight on your veins,
You want to just disappear,
And get reborn in his soul…

You wait and wait til’ he talks,
Wait and wait til’ he laughs,
Wait and wait til’ he goes,
Away and away and far away…

A “bird in love” sings and sings,
No one knows what she sings,
No one knows what she wants,
No one knows where she flies,

A “bird in love” sings and sings,
Until the day she dies….and dies…
That is the day she flies to skies.

And somewhere far,
Far and away,
where the wind blows,
where the water flows,
where the leaf rolls and rolls,
until it hits the grounds,
He walks and wonders,
what a lovely fall,
why the bird cries?

Before the Curtain Rose

Clenching of fists

Palms sweaty, a sticky mess

Clutching and wiping at softness, swooshing skirt

Beads of glassy dew pop on nose and brows
to nest there, steaming

Hairs standing on end at nape of the neck

Jaws tightening, teeth grinding, shaking

Is is time?

Feeling faint, hot, no cooling this

rising internal inferno, no stopping this

insistent knocking inside my chest

Ragged breaths tear at my throat

Is it time yet?

Coughs, clearing of throats, chattering

voices float away with a fluff of cloud

Velvety waterfall raises up to the sky

Revealing shadows in the near distance, then

Lights like multiple Suns shine brightly, birds chirping loudly

Music fills and spins my head around like sweet heady wine

Melting all away in a breathless delight, ecstasy

It's showtime!

Mother

I remember her so clearly, hiding behind a bus stop
waiting for us to go inside my uncle's sushi restaurant,
her mother taking care of business, leaving me behind,
disregard for her wants and needs, just one simple reason,
want my daughter to marry a rich man, do not repeat
your mistakes again, get rid of what is between you and your
happiness, that child, HIS daughter.
That image of my mother haunts me to this very day, hiding
behind that bus stop sign, waiting, watching.

One Lovely Smile

One lovely smile, she captivates all.
Palms open to heavens,
Surrendering in endless joy,
Tears stream down her face,

Encapsulating our hearts,
Brighter than the sun,
Softer than the moon,
She envelopes us in comfort,
in silence.


Image from Testriffic.com

Meaning of Life

Caught up in the hustle
9 to 5er chasing BART daily
sapped energy parked on couch nightly
But money is good life is great
I ain't going hungry roof is sturdy
gets to travel some gets to shop some
gets to go out and waste money some
My future plans big
wanna go to business school
gonna hustle harder make more dough
But what about my hungry heart?

More more I want more
I don't know what it is that I want
I want some meaning to my life
some purpose to my getting up
every morning at 6am
drinking coffee checking emails
paying bills surfing the net
getting ready for work hopping on BART
on my cellphone on my IPod
on my computer on my office phone
always on the run always busy in this urban life
But...

Grateful to have my lovely companions beside me
looking forward to having kids of my own
teaching them all I learned and haven't learned
watching them live make mistakes
go through heartaches and heartbreaks
I am anticipating years ahead
traveling sharing laughters sharing tears
talking over food and wine
of lives we have shared of lives we will share
so what is meaning of life I ask

What makes my blood pump harder
what puts a big smile on my face
what makes me jump out of bed in the morning
shouting "Hello World, Here I come!"

That drive that love that energy that smile
that happiness that generosity that passion
that motivation that creativity
That must be the meaning of life.

Daily Mantra

Taking steps for better future
for myself for my loved ones
Focus don't be distracted
by transient pleasure and temptation
Work hard play hard
Persistence is key to success
Believe in yourself
You are your only true influence
You are your only true agent for change
Lend a hand a shoulder an ear
There will come a time when you may need them
Be inspired
Be inspirational

I Forgive You

Seeing you in dreams,
distorted
ugly
fearful.
Eyes shut,
Sweating
panting,
overwhelming.
You are near.
For six years,
slowly peeled away,
mistrust
hate
guilt.
I am stripped bare.
And yet,
just a thought,
a glimpse in dreams,
you push me to my knees.
But is it you I long to be free of?
or is it the reflection of me?
My past failures, regrets, what-ifs
am I afraid to face?
Perfectionist world
perfectionist dreams,
is it really hard to say,
Hey,
I forgive you,
I forgive me.

She Stood Strong

She stood strong
Her hair streaming back
Wrapping around her head
Thick black strings
Where the wind blows
Trees gracefully leaning to bow
Paying homage to the wind
So beautiful,
Calm smile on her face
Accepting in this place
Eternal circle of life
Of love,
Years later
I will still remember how
She stood strong and how
I was proud of her so.

Magic is in the Air

Magic is in the air
let us be swept off in its beauty
shimmering waves of emotion
wash over us like all consuming fire

Magic is in the air
whirling around in each other's arms
reveling in new sensation
feed our hungry hearts with desire

Heaven and earth part
to deliver nature's ecstacy
what we feel for each other
is so natural
don't pretend otherwise
give into it your body and soul
I long to follow you
to eternity