In the Near Distance

why do you torment me?
why do you tease me?
stalk me, chase me,
as I run away from your duress,
that's always too much to bear?
and then,
when I find myself
rooted
in the stoned silence
between hushes,
you catch me unawares,
your waters breaking
all over me,
taking me to a reverie,
and yet sometimes,
just leaving
my orphaned toes,
yearning for that one brush
of elusive closeness,
still taunting me,
drawing me,
into your heaving bosom
in the distance;

and I remember how
the moon makes waves
all the time,
being herself
in the near distance.

Come, Be a Mountain!

and Life said to me:
"Be a mountain!
come, take your place
between the heavens
and the earth,
for you are not alone;
come, stay where you are,
for in that space of being,
you will find your place
in the family of all things;
yes, you cannot move at will,
but that's why you can grow roots
into yourself and a landscape
that's ever-changing -
where rivers meander off
like prodigal sons
never to return to your folds,
where birds arrive and depart
like restless pilgrims
always in search of something,
where trees rise and fall
with every wobble
of the slowly turning wheels,
where paths and trails
cut into your very soul -
those that you'll never walk on,
where men and women come
to conquer a mystery
and flaunt their valour,
only to end up exploring and discovering
their own smaller and larger selves;
come, dear one,
be a mountain!
and rest in the stillness 
of all that is,
and all that will ever be."

Desires

desires -
they are inside
that middle drawer
in my kitchen
that slides back out
soon after I push it back in,
again and again,
standing out
like a sore thumb,
attracting my attention,
refusing to stay
where I want it to stay -
closed shut.
but then,
it keeps me on my toes,
as I watch it carefully,
giving me space
to look in, and pull out
what I want
in a jiffy,
to lay itself open
to my roving eyes,
that have too much to see
in this busy world,
drawing them
to a fervent pause
to watch the longings -
not to put them in place
but to feel their journey
from in to out,
to that exact point
where they stop and stay,
rooted in the presence
of warm eyes
that leave them
open or shut,
all day.

Desires and Dreams

and when the world
asked me all over again,
"what about your desires
and dreams?"
I smiled to myself
and looked into the stars
with a glint in my eyes:
"if you keep looking deeply
into the ones
that catch your eye,
you will know
that there is no need
to jump up
so you can touch them
or grab them;
you will know
if you wait long enough,
that they will be yours
some day, in some way;
and you will then see
how they came down
to be with you,
in your eyes,
in your heart,
right now."

Return to Sender

Desires
sealed
in an envelope
with no window
to peek in
or out,

now returned
and opened
in one sleek strike
by Life;

for one who wants
more
or no more,

for one who hasn't
loved himself,
nor been loved
by anyone else,

there is only one message
inside.

Live.

Paper Boats

my dreams are tied
like gossamer sails
to tiny paper boats
setting sail
upon rivulets of joy
that catch
the fleeting gaze
of a child
lost in the magic
of an orphaned sunbeam
upon her upturned palm.