Don’t surrender your loneliness so quickly

let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you

as few human or even divine ingredients can

Something missing in my heart tonight

has made my eyes so soft

my voice so tender

my need of god

absolutely clear.

–Hafiz

This differing judgement of earth is god.
All brains are wondering
which is right. Waiting for time
to decide.

One Brain observes the logic of events,
the point of harmony. Be still,
let god think
through your brain.

She thinks outside of things.

This and the previous poem was created with “Erasures” website. The source text is here
You would think this should be fairly easy. Not so! Deciding which words to leave out is about as hard as coming up with your own original text. Any way, it is fun. Try it out for yourself. Thanks, Travis. I had almost forgotten about this site.

Chapter I

He carried his anger like a trophy
raining words like shooting stars
stinging
then stretching like and old cat
in the mid-afternoon sun.
He could turn buckets of sunshine
into sleepy question marks of regret.
Hate bubbling up from the drama
that hid in the carpet of fear
that bound his chest.

I saw the fear as another star
falling, driven like crystal shards
deep into the earth where they
rattled around like old bones in a coffee can.
Singing taunts like a leaky faucet
the creeping shadows forming grotesque
patterns on the walls of his
severely severed heart.

Chapter II

Oh, the sharp porcelain of winter.
The rinse of tears on cold stone.
Marauding words twitching frantically
as the tangible hissing of light,
rich enough to burn the pallor
off of the embarrassingly fragile
truth, like the scent of yellow silk
flowers.

Candelabra melodies ring
in contrapuntal rhythm to
the expletives that roll so easily
over his washboard tongue
sounding like blackbirds
cackling to the sun.

Chapter III

I was recently in the sunlight
crawling through the fire
when you spoke…. wanderer, forbear.
Were you not often broken?
Were you not afraid?

Fantasy is a sun, a fair valley
Fantasy climbs darkness
It soars in the brightness of summer

Fantasy is the dancing of all suns.

RonRusso

_

On the night when you cross the street
from your shop and your house
to the cemetery,
you’ll hear me calling you from inside
the open grave, and you’ll realize
how we’ve always been together.
I am the clear consciousness-core
of your being, the same in
ecstasy as in self-hating fatigue.
That night, when you escape the fear of snakebite
and all irritation with the ants, you’ll hear
my familiar voice, see the candle being lit,
smell the incense, the surprised meal fixed
by the lover inside all your other lovers.
This heart-tumult is my signal
to you igniting in the tomb.
So don’t fuss with the shroud
and the graveyard road dust.
Those get ripped open and washed away
in the music of our finally meeting.
And don’t look for me in a human shape.
I am inside your looking. No room
for form with love this strong.
Beat the drum and let the poets speak.
This is the day of purification for those who
are already mature and initiated into what love is.
No need to wait until we die!
There’s more to want here than money
and being famous and bites of roasted meat.
Now, what shall we call this new sort of gazing-house
that has opened in our town where people sit
quietly and pour out their glancing
like light, like answering?

~Rumi

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.!

Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple gro wl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

! No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout .. run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandpa’s lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don’t hurt. (Really?)
3) Families are like fudge…mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there.
4) You’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It’s frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don’t believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . having friends.
At age 16 success is . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . having money.
At age 50 success is . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . having friends
At age 80 success is . . not peeing in your pants.