At a distant place, where you and I may have once visited,
an old man sat at the waters edge observing the rising sun
In him the streams of serenity flowed freely, as each breath
was an exercise in appreciation.
This was not about physical elements.
It was a radiance from within, where a soul was content in its state
Where desires, were mere passing thoughts and not the forests within.

The old man had finally separated his burdens from his mind.
Where does the purpose lie, in reflecting on events outside our realm ?
In seeking the connection, he realizes without communication, he is alone.
In understanding his blessings, he feels the warmth of a higher power.
In separating his thoughts from envy, he is able to discover a beauty within.

This is the beauty that we can tap into if we seek it as an end and not the means.
For what could the means provide us, if the end remains the same ?
This old man is the fortunate one, for he was not the gladiator that won.
He respected the virtues of time and nurtured patience like a mother cares for her young.

Maybe my visit with this old man, in this beautiful place might sprinkle serenity upon me.
Or maybe my sunrise is the journey, that awaits me at my water's edge.

The dawn of a new day begins with a breath of air
The breath of air, transforming a feeling into actions
Actions sparking sequences of fateful events.

A rose blossoming in its ideal environment
A plane takes off  pre-dawn
A baker removes the aromatic breads from the oven
A school teacher prepares for her day at school
A fisherman hauls his fresh catch from the boats
A Newspaper is delivered
A Cafe switches on their "Open" sign

Simple events that happen everyday, yet this dawn was different
Although, the events were seemingly innocent.
There was a state of seconds moving slowly
Plans proceeding smoothly.

Children smiling from the misty windows of a bus
Businessmen reading newspapers on a train
Wives bidding their husbands good-bye.
Ships sounding their last horns before undertaking their voyages.

All along my mind was only seconds in this hour of life.
We moved within the circle of events.  We were very close at the strike of twelve, yet so far away at the sixth hour.  We move closer together, then move far away.
I almost wondered why the heart contracted and expanded with every beat.

This morning was my pride, all the events ticked away those precious seconds.  We were to meet around the corner, yet you were the neighborhood within me

This afternoon would be my accomplishments.  We would celebrate and sing our successes. 

This evening would be our anniversary, so much of our time we have spent together and the fruits of our efforts and love are all around us.

These precious seconds in an hour, we stopped time between us and took the time to tender our gardens. 

The hour is nearing its completion, and we have gone the full circle only to be together, seconds in an hour, an hour in a day, a day in a week, a week in a month....still seconds in an hour.  Faith in you is the transition of every second to its sibling second.  This journey we are on to be together seconds in an hour...

Somewhere in between a state of deep sleep and being awake we meet.
You are the shadow that is ever present yet elusive.

Your presence is barely noticable until you have left me.
Where do you come from and and where do you go ?

Belief in imagination would be a comfortable excuse for your beauty.
My reality however will not accept it in this simplicity.
The depths of your ocean has me scared, yet the heights of your heavens are beyond the joy, I was blessed to understand.

If in the small instant of this reality,
I apprehend a small detail of your strength.
I am humbled by my insignificance
but overjoyed at the sheer beauty sprinkled upon me.
A realization, I'll admit to is that your visions are my catalysts for the rare flower of patience I so desparately attempt to cultivate

Why do you show me the face of time,
that I can only comprehend with the intelligence of a child. 
My loyalty is undivided and eagerness unrivaled. 
Could you be a simple communication or the blessing of many a year ago ?

Like a sunflower pointing at the Sun, my senses are ever ready to discern your presence.  Have I recieved a gift and not known it ? My gratitude and thanks to you.

I was told humility in my dealings are a recipe for success, may this humility forever keep your light shining upon my mind in the darkness of my nights.

My eyes can barely recognize a landscape that was so familiar
My ears can hardly hear a melody that ruled without competition
My nose is remotely detecting intoxicating scents that filled the nights
My hands are not able to touch the familiar softness of the day

Are you still the same place I once reverred, or have you fallen into the despair of greed
Maybe my mind is in tune with a different reality, or appreciates a different age.
There must be a source that fuels this rebellion of sorts.  Maybe we start with innocense, forget it is there along the way.  And if we are lucky it all comes back, in a time we are most comfortable.  It comes back to change a status qou we believed was correct, only to show us the insignificance of this correctness.

They say true love never dies, but then again why does a love so old seem to drift so far, while my heart rejoices at a departure?  Who was the lover and who was loved ? 

Are we on the edge of discovery ?  Is there something so much bigger out there, that the sheer beauty is intoxicating us ?  In the currents, we are swayed, yet in the simple power of thought we are saved.  Maybe this little secret I carry, is a secret no more - merely an awakining of a gift, we all recieved a long time ago. Hidden it was, for all the wrong reasons, or was timing the essence of it all ?

Time stands still for no one, yet this fruit of the mind has been standing within the depths only laughing at a discussion of neutrality that could barely move one way or the other.  Now that spring is here, I see the two stopping for a moment and realizing the end of their reign was the rebirth of one of them. Who it was they did not know, but surely before the season's end, they knew it would never be the same.

A painting that you thought depicted your scene gets completely rearranged with the single stroke of the brush.  The colors are now screaming in joy, as harmony descends upon them as a toy for a baby boy.

Insatiable is my appetite, yet infinite is my patience for the Freind is my guiding light...and my nature is the discovery of this sight.

Hours of the night spent contemplating
Voices that spoke without being heard
Fog that covered the night, yet the heart that saw thru its sight

The corner of 15th & Lovejoy was an ordinary intersection
Yet the intersection of yearnings and realities met in joy
The cold had come into stay, but the warmth had transported me away.

How long has it been since  I heard that comfort of your voice ?
Maybe it wasn't a choice but the arrival of a new dawn, from an old sunset
Did I forget you would comeback, or did I not anticipate your flashback ?

You are the companion, I thought I lost along the track
Only to realize that within the walls of my mind, I forgot the way back.
When I least expected you, you were guiding my path.

This intersection is a blessing I wish upon you all
While its physical description hardly deserves mentioning, it is an epiphany that takes you straight in to the crossroads of life's choices.

The heart can speak, but without the audience, Can it ever be heard ?
The noise rises, yet for the ears of the listener, the heart overshadows it all.
All at the Intersection of 15th of Lovejoy on a cold, cold fog envoloping night.

The waters of the ocean are clear and the compass has come back to life showing me a direction. May your days give you at least one night at the corner of 15th & Lovejoy, when choices will speak their minds...on 15th & Lovejoy.

Images all around us of laughter, of crying, of success, of defeat.

It must be that beautiful human condition that we manifest a thirst.

The thirst for more knowledge, to work, to discovere and create.

The choices are all around us. Do we see a glass of water as half full or half empty ?

Every hour is another challenge, ideals shower us with hope. News showers us with the reality of the human frailty. 

It's a story that keeps playing itself out in the hearts and minds of all.

Every Sunrise and every sunset in all the lands holds secrets of a future as it unfolds itself.

Some cry for a past lost, I rejoice for the moments given and ability to move forward.

Smiles appear all over the world, as they wipe away tears from events beyond our control.  It is this delicate dance of the forces that motivate us to go in different directions.  Some of my freinds tell me it is today's efforts, some say it was yesterdays, and some believe it might be tommorrows.  In my heart I realize it is every breath we take in the past, present and future that is a step in the right direction, instead of breaths that signify our shortcomings.

Journeys that have taken me to the different corners of the human experience only make me happier and evermore thankful.

It is not about dwelling on the fallen innocent or the disparate, for the Mighty will heal all in his own time.  For me it is about the discovery, that we are all somehow related by way of a prayer, by a good deed, and by the will to deliver a better future to the generations. 

The forest may be dark on the ground, but there are ones who have learnt to appreciate looking at the sky.  Others have learnt to climb to the top, while others are stuck debating the height.  I have resolved to look around me and work so we may all climb together, stop and smile. For in the end it is not about the top of the forest.  But the journey we all went on, and how we progressed.

On a recent sunrise somewhere over the Northern hemisphere, the warmth and joy appeared like a blanket over my forest of thoughts.  It seems as though we may have somewhere locked our ambitions in to wells of desparation.  As the sun's rays slowly delivered their warmth upon me, I understood the choice was mine.  I could worry about how fast the currents would delay my journey, or I could rejoice in the winds that filled my sails.

Where do we go from here ?
close your eyes and inquire within your mind about a time when your heart was open...