EPISODE 30 Once Upon A time
This podcast has become a journal of a tumultuous time in human history. So I choose my words very carefully to reflect my reality, my vision and my hopes in ways that uplift and enlighten.
Getting Ready
Cleaning up my office
decluttering
preparing for the rush
of inspired words to gush
a brilliant fountain of liquid gold
so these stories will be told.
THE INVITATION
Come with me into the world of ink
Flowing smoothly from the nib
of the red fountain pen from Firenze,
onto the perfect page of paper.
Words appear.
as if from the Buddhist void
painting pictures
from my mind’s eye,
wherever it chooses to be.
So come with me!
Come walk with me along Eagles lake.
where the fearless wood stork
standing tall, white and black,
with crinkly vulture like face,
deep black eyes and long beak
standing on the side of the path
staring back at the walkers
moving slowly past.
Come walk with me onto Macquerie Island
where the king penguins gather curiously
looking at the yellow coated intruders,
through their rectangular irises
set in perfect black and orange faces.
And Royal penguins waddle past
in straight lines
with golden crown feathers flowing
as they dive into the cold antarctic water.
Come walk with me into the shrine
of pure white marble,
shimmering with the saint’s love,
still awakening believers
to their own inner world of bliss.
Come walk with me into the cathedral of Santiago
Sit with saint James
listen to the pilgrim’s mass,
the sweet voices of the singing nuns,
watch the giant thurible,
The smoking Botafumeiro,
swing from one high ceiling to the other
Feel the power of tradition.
Uniting pilgrims each searching
for their own truth.
Come stay with me in the silence
after the joyful screams of playful children
become the rhythmic breathe
of happy sleepers,
and we rest together
dreaming of happy times,
a world of caring and compassion
for everyone.
Once Upon a time!
Once upon a time
Martin Luther
walking home in Wittenberg,
through the pine forest
under a sparkling star lit sky
he was inspired
to decorate the family Christmas tree
with sparkling candles.
Now the Trees and decorations are away,
do you wonder what comes next in this story
Each of us has the power to write our own story
so we can look back on Christmas day 2021
and realize what reality we created this year.
Once upon a time
it seemed America was in crisis
where evil forces were so divisive.
Then the good people stood up
saying enough, they cannot disrupt
everyone’s lives based on more lies.
we know there is a goodness we can see,
May goodness and truth prevail
forget twitter, send email.
BEGINNINGS
I am starting my day,
when somewhere on earth
there is an eclipse of the sun,
I walked between the ponds
staring at the mirror
of perfectly still water
reflecting clouds
of early morning colors,
and our neighborhood
glowing in the lively light.
The double image duck floating
between upside down palms,
Dives starting concentric circles,
waves reflecting dawn’s colors
distort the mirror now,
as dog walkers are pulled along,
plastic bag in hand, looking down,
oblivious to my view of the world,
poised to scoop the poop.
I realize this is the world,
we each have our duty,
some focus on scooping the poop,
some focus on the beauty of nature,
we all have our part to play;
and remember, it is a play
a greater power is watching too
moving the pieces along,
preparing for the next move
I go back to grab my camera
to capture these delightful scenes
Only to discover that they would only exist
in my memory
since no memory card was in the camera.
Another life lesson.
Next time I will just BE
Ichigo Ichie
SUBSCRIPTION WORLD
Shaving with Harry’s blade
expecting soon another five
Every month my vits arrive,
what a subscription world we’re in.
Netflix, NY times, NatGeo too.
Internet and PBS
Autopay goes on and on
Mortgage, taxes, water, power.
insurance and HOA,
Ebb and flow,
watch it come
watch it go.
i could pass away
leaving on that autopay.
Taking care of my dear wife
even after I’ve left this life.
That was easy!
So they say,
lets just hope and pray
we won’t be hacked
and then ransacked.
Life itself is a subscription,
pay with good deeds, generosity
Random acts of kindness.
The return is contentment
happiness and gratitude.
Giving and receiving,
Peace of mind.
©MartinStrasmore2021