Ode a la Esperanza

Ode a la Esperanza

Crepusculo marino,

en medio

de mi vida,

las olas como uvas,

la soledad del cielo,

me llenas

y desbordas,

todo el mar,

todo el cielo,

movimiento

y espacio,

los batallones blancos 

de la espuma,

la tierra anaranjada,

la cintura

incendiada

del sol en agonia,

tantos

dones y dones,

aves

que acuden a sus suenos,

y el mar, el mar,

aroma

suspendido,

coro de sal sonora,

mientras tanto,

nosotros,

los hombres,

junto al agua,

luchando

y esperando

junto al mar,

esperando.

Las olas dicen a la costa firme:

"Todo sera cumplido." 

Pablo Neruda

( By the way, loving an author's poem does not mean one approves his political affiliation per se. A message for my readers: I only like Pablo as a poet.)

Yoga or stretching?

A Footing on this Earth

I sought Him where my logic led.

        "This friend is always sure and right;

        His lantern is sufficient light.

    I need no Star," I said.

    I sought Him in the city square.

        Logic and I went up and down

        The marketplace of many a town,

    But He was never there.

    I tracked Him to the mind's far rim.

        The valiant intellect went forth

        To east and west and south and north,

    But found no trace of Him.

    We walked the world from sun to sun,

        Logic and I, with Little Faith,

        But never came to Nazareth,

    Nor met the Holy One.

    We sought in vain. And finally,

        Back to the heart's small house I crept,

        And fell upon my knees, and wept;

    And Lo! He came to me!

    

Sara Henderson Hay (1906-1987), A Footing on this Earth: Poems, Doubleday, 1966, p. 214

Important Question

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. Absolutely, said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Author unknown.

The Kiss!

Ode To The Lemon by Pablo Neruda

Ode To The Lemon by Pablo Neruda

From blossoms
released
by the moonlight,
from an
aroma of exasperated
love,
steeped in fragrance,
yellowness
drifted from the lemon tree,
and from its plantarium
lemons descended to the earth.

Tender yield!
The coasts,
the markets glowed
with light, with
unrefined gold;
we opened
two halves
of a miracle,
congealed acid
trickled
from the hemispheres
of a star,
the most intense liqueur
of nature,
unique, vivid,
concentrated,
born of the cool, fresh
lemon,
of its fragrant house,
its acid, secret symmetry.

Knives
sliced a small
cathedral
in the lemon,
the concealed apse, opened,
revealed acid stained glass,
drops
oozed topaz,
altars,
cool architecture.

So, when you hold
the hemisphere
of a cut lemon
above your plate,
you spill
a universe of gold,
a
yellow goblet
of miracles,
a fragrant nipple
of the earth's breast,
a ray of light that was made fruit,
the minute fire of a planet.

All For One

All For One

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe.

He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who

ever got there first won the sweet fruits.

When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran

together, then sat together enjoying their treats.

When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all

the fruits for himself they said:

"UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?"

'UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are".

To love

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

God's Beauty Tips

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others.

To lose weight, let go of stress, hatred, anger, discontentment, and the need to control others.

To improve your ears, listen to the Word of God.

For poise, walk with knowledge and self-esteem.

To strengthen your arms, hug at least 3 people a day; touch someone with your love.

To strengthen your heart, forgive yourself and others.

For the ultimate in business, casual or evening attire, put on the robe of Christ; it fits like a glove but allows room for growth.

Best of all, it never goes out of style and is appropriate for any occasion.

Doing these things on a daily basis will certainly make you a more beautiful person.

- Author Unknown