Image: Cornucopia courtesy of *susie*

ABUNDANCE
Another poem by The crazy Colombian

A life of abundance.
Material Abundance:
to have the choices
to do what I want,
when I want,
for as long
as I want,
for the rest of my life

Spiritual Abundance:
to give meaning
and purpose
to my every action
of my every day
of my every year
of my every life.

Physical abundance:
to provide a strong
and resilient
vessel for this
life I call mine,
and for the life
of those
that I cherish
and love.

Complete abundance:
Wholesome abundance.
Not wasteful,
nor selfish,
nor greedy abundance;
but abundance instead
that works in harmony
to assist me in
creating
the life
I was born to live.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – An uplifting poem about the nature of happiness
• Unusual times – a poem reflecting on the nature of changing and unusual times
• Queda Prohibido – a poem by Pablo Neruda, with translation into English
• Play – A beautiful poem about growing up
• Tender, Loving Care – an ode to Motherhood, released on Mother’s Day ‘09

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

Image: Loving mother courtesy of The crazy Colombian

A paradox of love:
The greatest mystery
of this world we live in.
How to be the best parent,
the best mother,
the best father,
the person your child deserves?

In balance lies the answer;
give all your love,
unconditionally.
Protect your child
from the evils of this world.
Uncage his spirit
and encourage him
to explore our beautiful universe
in all its glory.

Teach him the lessons he needs
to be happy,
well adjusted,
socially responsible,
safe,
successful,
at peace.

Let him make the mistakes
that will be necessary
for him to truly realise
the meaning of those lessons,
for it is only through experience –
sometimes painful,
sometimes scary,
almost always uncomfortable,
that we learn the lessons
that truly matter in this world.

Give him love;
Shower him with presents
of the heart;
Be Spartan with the presents
of this physical world;
Always be there for him,
But don’t force your presence,
your ideas,
your perspectives and
points of view
upon him.

Listen to what he has to say
and offer advice only
when he asks for it,
when he truly needs it,
or when he rightfully deserves it.

Talk with him,
not at him,
of the things he wants to
talk about.
Connect with him through words
about his world,
even if his world is too naïve,
too innocent,
too boring
or too childlike.
For it is only through his eyes
that you can truly comprehend
what your child desires,
craves,
fears,
needs help with.

Play with him,
learn about his favourite toys;
Spend quality time
with him and all his friends;
real, or imaginary,
it doesn’t really matter.
Let yourself go
in the bliss that we all have
when we play
for play’s sake;
when we don’t look at games
as competitions,
networking events,
ways to enhance
our social status,
or events to should be watched
from the comfort of your couch.
Let yourself enjoy the moment
when your child plays with you
and shows you
how to experience games
as rare
and wonderful opportunities
to share a laugh;
give some fun;
live the moment
with someone that you love;
enjoy the game
for what it truly is:
a moment of active joy,
with no responsibilities;
all fun,
no harm.

The greatest mystery
we’ll never uncover:
How to be the best parent,
that your child deserves?

The answer is quite simple,
yet impossible to act upon
every single day:
Give yourself unconditionally,
Spend all your love on him;
Set him free to learn,
and live,
and love,
discovering his passions,
finding his own heart,
his own path;
support him through this journey,
as a guide who knows some roads,
not a leader that knows them all.
Balance your needs with his,
Your wisdom with your foolishness;
And show him that you’ll always be there for him;
especially when the hardest proof
of love is demanded of you:
To let him go,
set him free,
send him on the road to
find and be himself.
For it will be
in that simple moment of surrender
that your love will flower
and help you find the peace,
the happiness,
the self-fulfillment
you’ve been seeking all your life;

It will be in that simple moment
that you will live,
for just a second
but will always be
forever in your heart,
the realisation you always
knew how to be the best parent,
the best mother,
the best father,
the person your child deserves,
Always has,
Always will.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – An uplifting poem about the nature of happiness
• Unusual times – a poem reflecting on the nature of changing and unusual times
• Queda Prohibido – a poem by Pablo Neruda, with translation into English
• Play – A beautiful poem about growing up

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

Image: Child’s Play courtesy of MikeFinkelstein

PLAY

A trip of many miles
a journey of many years
a visit of many people
a time of reaffirmation.

Just two and a half years
of age,
of wisdom,
of living a privileged life,
of loving a beautiful mum.

Just two and a half years
of age,
meeting ancestors
for the second time,
like they were from a
previous life,
but with the knowledge
and realisation
and memories
and love that comes
from knowing them
like it was only yesterday.

Laugh,
Play,
Running around;
Music,
Screaming,
Fooling around;
Sleep,
Dinner,
Relaxing with Dad
Just before
going to bed.

A day like no other,
the first day
of the rest of his life;
a day like no other,
the first one
in a series of days
that, like snowflakes
will be unique,
different,
special in their own way;
yet at the same time,
like snowflakes,
will share
with all others like it
the beauty
the simplicity,
the sparkle of love
deep within
itself.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – An uplifting poem about the nature of happiness
• Unusual times – a poem reflecting on the nature of changing and unusual times
• Queda Prohibido – a poem by Pablo Neruda, with translation into English

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

A few days ago I received a copy of the poster for Bogota’s Book Fair (see above), with Pablo Neruda’s beautiful poem “Queda Prohibido”. I have taken the liberty to (loosely) translate into english for your reading pleasure; I hope you will enjoy it.

It is now Forbidden

by Pablo Neruda

It is now forbidden
to cry without learning;
to wake up one day
and no longer have dreams;
to become afraid
of your own memories…

It is now forbidden
to not smile
in the face of adversity;
to stop fighting
for those who you love;
to abandon it all
because of your fears;
or to give up in making
your own dreams come true.

It is now forbidden
to pretend we don’t need
understanding each other;
to place less value
in the lives of others;
to ignore each of us
has a unique path to joy…
It is now forbidden
to give up on happiness,
to abandon optimism,
to quit improving ourselves;
to believe the world
will be a better place without you.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – An uplifting poem about the nature of happiness
• Unusual times – a poem reflecting on the nature of changing and unusual times

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

Image: Chalet Cottage at Night courtesy of Rene Ehrhardt

UNUSUAL TIMES

A door opens
and not one soul comes through
to the empty carriage
I travel in today.

A day of reflection.
and peaceful meditation
that reminds me of my passions,
showing me the way
to happiness,
to passing feelings
of success.

An unusual time
to travel on this train,
going against the current
of daily travelers
coming back from work.

An unusual time
to be wondering what’s here,
when the path in front me,
is well paved,
easy to travel,
nicely paid.

But if usual times
bring with them
challenges,
exhaustion,
some money
and the routines
that we all dread;
then unusual times
come full of unforeseen,
scary,
foggy possibilities
that make our hearts
seek the comfort
of what’s known,
of that which we
know
very well.

Unusual times
will pave the way
to new heights,
new despair,
new love,
new frontiers;
Unusual times
will become
known to us
and request
at their own time
to become unusual
like they once were.

Unusual times
And usual times;
A delicate balance
We must keep
as we travel in this train
through our everyday life,
meeting other travellers
that ignore us
just like we ignore
them.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – An uplifting poem about the nature of happiness

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

JOY

Smiles,
memories,
reflections,
routine.

The secret of happiness
staring us every day,
in every moment
every minute,
every second to eternity.

Thoughts are the seeds
to our actions of tomorrow.
Ideas, the fertiliser
that our mind constantly feeds.
Baby steps that germinate
and sometimes grow
into the reality we dream of.

Joy is in the now;
Not tomorrow.
In our thoughts that
lead the way
for a life we want ourselves.
Joy is in the now;
Not yesterday.
In our appreciation of the
lives we touch
every second
with our hearts,
our words,
our minds.

Joy is in the now,
a present of
eternal possibilities.
That sometimes gets
drowned in the noise
of our worries,
our plans,
our aspirations
and our guilt.

Background noise
that masks the reality
of our human self,
loving,
living,
ready for all
that life has to offer.

Joy is in the now,
Joy is here
Today.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling

A poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieve’s awesome book Tomorrow

For a copy of the poem, click here

Note: All images were made available to the public by their authors under a Creative Commons License on Flickr.com; for a full list of credits, watch the end of the video or click here

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Que es poesia? – a liberal translation into english of Gustavo Adolfo Becker’s famous poem
• Joy – another poem on the nature of a joyful life

Image: Svaneti by Paata

In case you missed it, last week I wrote a post on the 2-hour talk that Dan Millman gave at the Sydney Masonic Center on Tuesday, the 1st of April (link). Today, I’d like to share a poem I wrote while inspired by his talk. It is called ‘Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior’, and it goes like this:

Two hours
with my spiritual master;
Two hours
of wisdom,
of Universal Laws,
of jokes and quotes.

Two peaceful hours
with a wise warrior;
Two inspiring hours
with a foolish warrior.

A story of humility:
“I am inspired by you”,
said a student to his teacher.
“Don’t worry,” the teacher said,
“that too will pass”.

Humility with humanity;
Wisdom with laughter.
These were the hallmarks
that his teacher Socrates
once etched on him.
They’re now the hallmarks
he etches in us all.

Thank you,
my peaceful warrior,
for sharing your wisdom
with us today.

Thank you,
our peaceful warrior,
for laying your heart
open for us all to see,
to hear,
to touch and to feel.

Thank you,
Oh, peaceful warrior,
for making the mistakes that
took you here today.

Thank you,
my spiritual guide,
for being my friend
today again.

If you liked it, you may want to listen to me recite it on the link below.

Poem Recital: Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior (mp3 file)

LONELINESS

How many friends
does a man need
to never feel alone,
to never fall asleep?

Loneliness
filling our heart,
shining a light
into the bottomless pit
that harbors our fears,
our insecurities,
our human imperfection,
and shows that
not all is lost,
in the desperate path
to companionship.

How many souls
does a woman need
to never feel alone,
never fall asleep?

Image by OrangeAcid

(a poem by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer)

¿Qué Es Poesía?

¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras clavas
En mi pupila tu pupila azul.

¡Qué es poesía! ¿Y tú me lo preguntas?
Poesía eres tú.
~~~~~~~~~o~o~o~o~o~o~~~~~~~

(Loose translation)

What is poetry? whisper your lips
while you stare into my soul.

What is poetry! And you ask me?
Poetry is all of you.

For more poetry, visit the following links:

• Tomorrow – a poem inspired by Bradley Trevor Grieves book by the same name
• Reflections of a Peaceful Warrior – a poem inspired in a talk given by Dan Millman in Sydney (April ‘08)
• Loneliness – poetry in the Zen tradition
• Samsara – another Zen poem that explains the concept of Samsara
• Joy – another poem discussing the nature of Joy

or you can visit The crazy Colombian’s new book Zen and the art of photographic story-telling