Never Alone

NEVER ALONE

I stand among the trees

Feeling a light breeze

They sway

In the most

Glorious way

Adding to

A most beautiful day

I see the squirrel

Turn with a whirl

As I approach his side

Too close

He can’t abide

Away he runs to hide

In wonder at the beauty

Nature doth provide

The sky, the lake

There is no mistake

The wonders never cease

The more you see

The more it doth increase

Leading to an inner peace

What greater music

Doth belong

Then the melody

Of bird song

With this you can

Never go wrong

The scent

Of jasmine and rose

Doth tickle the nose

With heavenly delight

Both day and night

Whether or not

You have a home

Regardless

Of how far you roam

Someone at your side

Or not

You are never truly alone

As heavens blessings

Upon you have shown

-Shiidon, September 2010

I was sitting and watching the steam of my coffee wafting up to my face when I felt inspired. The original thought that came to me was of the coffee and the steam and something along those regards. Then other thoughts came to me. I was contemplating my cousin Ramin and our conversation from yesterday. We talked about what life can be. He talked about having a computer, watching the TV, reading and being at peace. Being a soon to retire man I can understand this. I reflected upon this and responded that this is in some ways my life now. I sit, drink my coffee or tea, write, watch a movie or two, go for a walk or whatever I want (no TV though). I contemplated on being alone. I thought about what life would be like if I was not alone again. Two words come to mind. Alone and lonely. Nature draws us together. It is all around us. We are driven to be with others. We are driven to the need to be with someone. This is where loneliness stems from. Being alone is a state in which we find ourselves in the end. We are born without a concept of others. We die alone, that journey, regardless of who is around at the time, is one we must face alone. When we are with our loved ones, our community or among friends we are still truly alone. The key, for me, is to appreciate the moment. If I find a person to spend the rest of my life with I will look back at this time and what will I see or feel. Will I regret what I could have done. Will I have neglected to live in hopes that someone would come along. Live each moment to the fullest. Don't squander opportunities and take the moment and relish it. So, I go to the Opera, I walk among the trees, I greet the squirrels with a prayer and relish each moment. This is what this poem means to me.

I took this photo on Labor day in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The photo above is Sierra Blanca from my parents home.

My father turned 82 yesterday, my mother next month. They have lived the fullest of lives and continue to do so. I hope to be able to say the same myself. Happy birthday Daddy.

Essence of Life

ESSENCE OF LIFE

I look into the sky

And what do I spy

But a cloud

As it passes by

The essence

Of that cloud

Is water through and through

The same can be found

Within me and you

Before me

A mountain I do see

Solid, immovable

To a great degree

Minerals

You will find within

The same can be found

Beneath our skin

I look

Within your heart

And realize how little

We are apart

Whole worlds expand

As I look inside

And see the same spirit

Within us reside

That which binds

Us together

Is a force

That binds

Altogether

Tis the power of love

A gift from above

And divine in itself

Thereof

-Shiidon, September 2010

Love is a common subject of poets. I was reflecting upon how much of us is in other forms of nature. I then reflected on how each of us in so many ways are the same. Then I remembered a quote describing the binding force of nature being love. While the following is not exactly that quote, it is along the same lines. It is partially my inspiration.

We will now consider the subject of "Love" which has been suggested, submitting it to the four standards of judgment and thereby reaching our conclusions.

We declare that love is the cause of the existence of all phenomena and that the absence of love is the cause of disintegration or nonexistence. Love is the conscious bestowal of God, the bond of affiliation in all phenomena. We will first consider the proof of this through sense-perception. As we look upon the universe we observe that all composite beings or existing phenomena are made up primarily of single elements bound together by a power of attraction. Through this power of attraction, cohesion has become manifest between atoms of these composing elements. The resultant being is a phenomenon of the lower contingent type. The power of cohesion expressed in the mineral kingdom is in reality love or affinity manifested in a low degree according to the exigencies of the mineral world. We take a step higher into the vegetable kingdom where we find an increased power of attraction has become manifest among the composing elements which form phenomena. Through this degree of attraction a cellular admixture is produced among these elements which make up the body of a plant. Therefore in the degree of the vegetable kingdom there is love. We enter the animal kingdom and find the attractive power binding together single elements as in the mineral, plus the cellular admixture as in the vegetable, plus the phenomena of feelings or susceptibilities. We observe that the animals are susceptible to certain affiliation and fellowship, and that they exercise natural selection. This elemental attraction, this admixture and selective affinity is love manifest in the degree of the animal kingdom.

Finally we come to the kingdom of man. As this is the superior kingdom, the light of love is more resplendent. In man we find the power of attraction among the elements which compose his material body, plus the attraction which produces cellular admixture or power augmentative, plus the attraction which characterizes the sensibilities of the animal kingdom, but still beyond and above all these lower powers we discover in the being of man the attraction of heart, the susceptibilities and affinities which bind men together, enabling them to live and associate in friendship and solidarity. It is therefore evident that in the world of humanity the greatest king and sovereign is love. If love were extinguished, the power of attraction dispelled, 89 the affinity of human hearts destroyed, the phenomena of human life would disappear.

(Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 88)

For the entire talk: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/FWU/fwu-25.html

Only the Good

ONLY THE GOOD

Do you see

The inner me

Or is it

Who I want to be

Can you separate

The real

From the contrived

Or from the truth

Are you deprived

Is the service

Upon which I've taken

Understood

Or for self mistaken

When I reflect

Upon myself

Who I see

Is sadly lacking

Worth of, self attacking

Every flaw

And blemish I see

Wondering

Whats become of me

And how could anyone

Good in me see

Or even want

To with me be

When I look at you

I see

The very best

There is see

The flaws are distant

Or non-existent

For tis the good

I look upon

voicing to any doubt, begone

For the negative

Does not belong

The picture I paint

Is strong, not faint

Tis looked upon

By many, as quaint

Truth betold

And to this

I strongly hold

Only the good

We take with us

as the rest eventually

Will turn to dust

So how can it be wrong

To look upon

A character so strong

and purposefully see

the good in thee

-Shiidon, September 2010

Well, this came to me over the past three days or so. Just some thoughts rattling in my head. In the Bahá'í writings it states that we only take the good in us when we go as what is left does not exist. What we know as evil is the lack of good. The darkness is the absence of light as evil is to good. This being said, we tend to self denigrate rather than look at your selves and see opportunity to improve our characters. More to come.

The Last Goodbye

THE LAST GOODBYE

What if tomorrow

You are gone

To this world

No longer belong

What tracks

Have you left behind

What acts of service

Will others

Of you remind

Will it be easy

Or hard to find

Who would you visit

On your last day

And what to each other

Would you say

Would you rush out

Or linger and stay

What words

Would you write

On that final night

Would it come

From a second sight

Would it be important to others

Well, it just might

Would you make amends

With one wronged

Giving the sense

That together

You belong

Would regrets

Come washing

Over you

Or

Would you

Be prepared

For what

Is due

I think in the end

A peace will descend

And intense love

Will all mend

And deepest love

We’ll send

And as I face that day

And the world I know

Does fade away

I will be joyful

As I leave

This world of clay

-Shiidon, September 2010

Last night I had a profound dream. In the dream I died. I was, for some reason, allowed to come back and say goodbye. There was a deep and profound feeling of peace. My heart was not beating and my hands were chalk white. Nothing mattered but there was a drive to say goodbye to my children. I did so. It was a strange feeling for I don't recall an actual conversation but the knowledge that they knew how much I loved them and that everything would be OK. I remember drifting away and everything faded as I awakened. On awakening I found myself in awe at the dream and feeling at peace. I wanted to convey this in a poem so this is my attempt.

I have faced death more than once in my life and one day I will not step back into this realm. But for now, to live our lives as fully as possible is important. To have a positive impact on each other, to not be a source of pain or suffering to another are important. However, to take positive steps in making lasting bonds of caring and service to one another goes beyond and impacts us positively in return.

My mother, in her eastern metaphysical interpretation of dreams tells me that a dream of death is the opposite. Who knows. I just had to put the feeling in writing for myself if nothing else.

Just in case, my love to all of you..... :-)

The Middle Road

THE MIDDLE ROAD

Boiling up

All around

Turmoil

Social destruction abound

Generations watch and see

As their progeny

Wade into

This darksome sea

Mankind struggles

To overcome

Each person deciding

What to become

To wallow

In the muck and mire

Following every whim, desire

Is the path so many tread

In so many ways

The walking dead

Yet this state

Is not for long

For each person

In time becomes strong

As my fathers hand

Slips from mine

And he fast approaches

The divine

I falter and take a breath

Not knowing what’s coming

In scope and breadth

As my child’s hand

Slips from mine

I stand fearful

For what’s in line

A world of tests

Become my child

In a world

Grown dangerous, wild

I watch both

Grow close and afar

Leaving upon me

A new found scar

I can only stand by

Watch and pray

For this is truly

Not my day

The lessons

I have learned

Within me

Indelibly burned

And dearly earned

Did I do my best

To pass on these lessons

And ease the tests

That to the youth

Must come

So that they may

Stronger become

As the old and new

Go their way

I am left ashore

As if after a storm

Longing for a place

Welcoming and warm

But for now

I stand alone

Upon the beach

Between land and shore

After much effort

Beaten and sore

But upon reflection

With a smile

My heart doth soar

-Shiidon, September 2010

I just spent this past weekend with my parents, daughter, brother and his fiance. I was struck at how I was in some ways in the middle of generations. My parents are both 82 this year. In another ten or twenty years they may not be with us as is the fate of all human beings. My daugher, who just turned 17, is embarking on her life. She is dong well and flourishing in my native state of New Mexico.

I think of my life and the influence of love and learning I have received from others. I recall certain people that stand out in the pantheon of my life's hero's. Among them are Mr. Hezari, Mr. Moshref, Mr. Justice, Mr. Gent, Mr. Jensen and on and on. the Zeus of this pantheon (work with me here) is my father. But so many of these souls are of advanced years or already in that place we are all destined to be. these are the hands that are slipping from mine.

For the other generation theres John, Travis, Jacob, Cody, Joseph (fellow Albuquerque person) and so many others that were just a brief time ago here with me. Chief among them are my children, Shervin, Winrik and Shahdi. Their hands have slipped from mine. I worry about all of them, hope for all of them and fear for all of them. Yet, in the end, they are those little birds that have just learned to fly and have left their nest.

I have much to reflect upon these days. I am beginning to see the horizon of new challenges to learn from in life.

The photos are my parents, Shahdi and I.