holy spirit
don't let this carnage go on
if each of us
would purify his own heart
reject war and hatred
embrace joy, forgiveness
understanding
take personal responsibility
for human suffering
in truth, brothers be
its up to us, between, you and me

terror
i know you stalk me
but do we need this
encounter
must we face down
again
you lie in wait
in the pit of my stomach
and rise up
at inopportune times
terror
must we go on, do this again
don't you remember
we've been here before

the problem with burying your head in the sand
is that your ass is exposed

"The true light is that which emanates from within man
and reveals the secrets of the heart to the soul
making it happy and content with life
Truth is like the stars
it does not appear except from behind
the obscurity of the night
Truth is like all beautiful things
in the world
it does not disclose its desirability
except to those who first feel the falsehood
Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us
to be content in our everyday life
and share with the people the same happiness"

Kahlil Gibran, SPIRITUS REBELLIOUS

these streets reveal to me
the mysteries of life
these streets are alive
having absorbed the spirits
of those who tread
upon them
these streets speak
the stories they tell overlap
generation upon generation
have left their yearnings/dissapointments
accomplishments/failures
woven into the asphalt and cement
the tar and brick
in the stillness that precedes the dawn
stories unravel, words mix with images
arise in a mist knee-high above these streets
what runs in these streets
is the life-blood of me and you

i came upon a boy and his bicycle
not 11 years old yet
sitting in a deserted parking lot
wailing, sobbing
at the top of his lungs
not any funeral lament any louder
more blood-curdling
than this youth...
i came upon an elderly man
kneeling beside his car
i averted my eyes
not sure what-was-what
then he asked for a helping hand
years before he had been paralyzed
and now beside the car had fallen
i gave him an arm
and with great force
he pulled himself up...

such sadness we stumble upon
how much is hidden
that never comes into view
as i walk these streets
door-to-door
i offer a prayer--
Peace, Joy forever more