On Forgetfulness

If you hear me complain that I cannot recall
     where I put my car keys,  or my dead cell phone,
     when I came home from wherever it was that I went yesterday ...
Please ask me if I can remember
       the very first time our baby grabbed my finger,
           or called for me in the middle of the night,
               or how I felt when the school bus pulled away
  that September day, so many years ago.

The Unbeatable Foe

Pens can be mightier than swords
but sometimes they're no use.
You cannot win a war with words
when your enemy's obtuse.

Winners and Losers

A WINNER is someone
who daily takes chances,
learns from their losses,
and gives their winnings away.

A LOSER is someone
who never takes chances
because they fear losing
something they've already lost.

Consciousness, Creation, Buddhism and the Bible in 60 seconds

A Split-Rail Fence

PAIN is a fence -- 
     sometimes barbed-wire.
More often,
     a split-rail fence.
It can confine us,    
     if we succumb to it. 
We have choices, though:
Climb over it;  
      leap over it; 
          or pole-vault.  
Crawl under it.  
     Squeeze through it.  
Dismantle it. 
Balance on it.   
Find a gate; or build one.
Just ignore it, 
      run smack into it, 
      and get even more pain.
We always have choices.
Indecision is one of them.

Port-of-Call

At birth,
      we disembarked to a port-of-call
             full of joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure.
We may view it as a furlough,
       as a life sentence of imprisonment in a body,
             or as an all-day pass at an amusement park.
When the Captain blows the whistle,
        we stop what we're doing, return to the ship
                     and sail on.

A NEW YEAR (and I don't care)

5:30 am, January 1, 2014.

A new year and I'm still here. For that, I'm grateful.
Yet, what difference does a new year make?
Every day, every hour, every minute,    
every breath is a new beginning,
If I declare it to be so.
On we go.

One step into the future is a step out of the past.
But what of the moment? Where am I now?
If always coming or going,
     when does a human have time for being?
When is Life?

We leave the past behind:
      the celebration and the sorrow.
Memories are safe there -- nothing can hurt them.
Tomorrow has hope and fear, dreams and tears,
     and maybe even glory.
Is that the real story? I don't think so.
Every story has a beginning and an ending.
That's what we remember,
      but it's the middle that really matters:  
      where the peanut butter meets the jelly.

When I look at my hands, I can see where I am and where I have been.
I feel the roughness and the callouses, the stinging that lingers,
      the wounds not quite healed.
One hand is empty - nothing to clutch, nothing to do.
The other holds a pen.
Ah!  There is the moment  - alive and well,
     creating something, pausing, moving, stopping,
     making sense out of life.  So it goes.

Let the revellers toot their tin horns.
Let them have their new year. I don't care.
All I want is one more breath.

"ON FEELINGS" -- a poetical essay

"ON FEELINGS"

           a poetical essay by V. Lucid

Your Feelings belong only to You.

You gave birth to them.

They thrive on Neglect.

Sometimes you nurture them ... and they grow

            when you'd rather they didn't.

Sometimes you call them by a wrong name.

Still, they are Yours alone.

Sometimes you want to keep your Feelings to Yourself;

            especially when you're uncomfortable with them.

You're afraid that people won't understand:

            that they might laugh at You;

            or that You might get hurt.

You're afraid that people will think You are weak.

Listen Up, now!
Sensitivity has about as much to do with Weakness

            as Callousness has to do with Strength.

Nothing!  Absolutely Nothing!

The people who act as if they are stronger than You,
            more important, or superior in any way

            are always the people with the most insecurity

                        about themselves.

They are so afraid that others will find that out.

Other times, You feel compelled to express Your Feelings,

            at least to Someone You Trust.

Even then, it's not easy.

Words won't suffice.                    .

Words are useful to explain our Thoughts.

Feelings easily slip through the spaces between the Words.

Choose you Confidants carefully.

If you want Everyone to understand You ... get Real!

You can't expect people to be in touch with Your Feelings

            when they're not even in touch with their own.

If you want people to accept You Just the Way You are,

You have to accept them just the way they are --

            even when there is Injustice.

But that doesn't mean You have to like them. 
Yes, it is hard not to judge judgmental people .

If you want Someone, Anyone, to understand You,

            where do You start?

Right where You are, of course,  

Which Way do You go?

Toward Self-Understanding ... or better yet, Self-Love.

Listen up, again!

When You truly Love Yourself, Just the Way You Are,

You won't care what others may think of You.
Remember Always that You are a Child of God!

That Alone makes You Worthy,

            Just the Way You Are. 

A FATHER'S LULLABY: There Will Always Be Dragons to Slay

Play-along

Free sheet music

Lucid, Vincent There Will Always Be Dragons to Slay (A Father's Lullaby) + MP3 (human interpretation) / MIDI Voice, Strings ensemble Celtic / 2010 V. J. Lucid © All rights reserved Make a donation to Vincent Lucid Powered by Free-scores.com

Hey!

Just because it's not about you

doesn't mean that you're not affected by it.

If someone closes a door on your finger or in your face,

even if it's unintentional, 

you have a right to say: "Hey! You closed the door on me!".

If you don't say "Hey!", at least once in a while,

you'll slip backwards toward Irrelevance.

Some people want to be irrelevant.

It requires no courage -- but the cost is self-respect. 

Others refuse to be ignored.

Have no expectations.

If you say, "Hey!" and they get defensive,

rather than apologetic or compassionate,

that's the time to turn the other cheek.

Just watch your fingers next time.

What is LOVE? Who is GOD? Mysticism for the Shallow Mind

 LOVE is GOD ~
     for GOD is LOVE (1 John 4:8) ~ 
All of it! 
Every warm feeling or thought, 
Every kind word, spoken or written,
Every secret longing, every unselfish action or prayer ~
    ever and everywhere, since the first light of the first dawn.
The unseen, often unfelt, centripetal force that makes us One.
That is what Love is -- and that is who God is.  
Powerful beyond comprehension.  
All the rest is garbage or glitter.
Any more questions?

--  an excerpt from the imaginary anthology, "Mysticism for the Shallow Mind"

TOWARD FULFILLMENT

(Reprise from April 11, 2010 - with one word change)

    Where are you going, my Little One ...?

We choose our path and pack our own duffel,
     mostly with stuff that's not worth its weight;
         and we set out on our own private odyssey --
             or perhaps we wait for a ship that never comes.

Though never quite sure where we are going,
     we are guided by Wisdom bought with pain
         and by a gift of Grace, which somehow appears,
             perhaps delivered by a prophet, or just by a friend.

The Cloud of Unknowing hides some distractions
      and we suddenly realize what we've known all along:
          that Being Loved is the place we have been longing for;
              and Loving is the only way that will surely get us there.
       
                    All the rest is colored bubbles.

Part II. SELF-CRITICISM Reprise from April 6, 2010

From CRITICISM: A TRILOGY

The Road To Perfection

The harshest critic is usually the Judge within you
     taking over the task begun by your parents.
Perhaps it’s time to send that judge down the road –
     and to exile the Judge’s soul-mate, the Victim --
that pin-cushion Martyr, with arrows by the hundreds
     sticking into him or her from all angles.

Do you set higher standards for yourself
     than you do for others? Isn’t that Vanity?
Why be so slow to forgive yourself for making errors,
     when you would so quickly forgive a friend?
Do you think you can achieve Perfection?
     If so, you’ve already made one big mistake.

Accept the fact that the Road to Perfection
     has not been completed -- nor will it ever be.
Check all your baggage except for one knapsack,
     then tear up the ticket and travel light.
Let the Judge and Victim trudge toward Perfection,
     while you head toward Fulfillment instead.

Your Garden

Peer into a mirror as if it were a window
     looking out on a garden.
Then step outside into that garden
     and just admire it for a while.
Now you may look around for weeds,
     but go slowly and carefully with the hoe.

Every new sprout is not an evil alien invader
     on a mission to choke your petunias.
Welcome some wildflowers,
     like Spontaneity and at least a little Risk.
Trust Helen Keller -- “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.
     Security is mostly a superstition. ”

Take time often to water your garden,
     but not with a fire hose.
Compassion is a persistent shower,
     but a gentle one --
Enough to wash the dust from the leaves
     and refresh the thirsty roots.

Now go somewhere else
     and do something different.
Come back in the morning light to see how well
     the garden grew during the night --
Simply because you turned it over and left it alone --
     trusting that all would be well. It is.

Part III. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

From CRITICISM,  A TRILOGY


Criticism Without Condescension

The only criticism of any value
     is Constructive Criticism, kindly offered.
Patronization is a hollow bone,
     useful only as a weapon.
Sincerity is the marrow needed for growth.
     Pick no bones without it.


Whom Do You Trust?

Seek the advice of someone with no agenda
     other than to help you.
Someone trustworthy, truthful and tactful,
     who will say what they truly believe.
Don’t bother if you’re just looking for someone
     to agree with you.

Put your own opinion on a shelf, for now,
     to make room in your head for new ideas.
Listen with an open mind
     and adopt ony the ideas that willl work for you.
The finest new clothes may not come in your size.
     Borrow only those that fit.

Value the opinion of a simple man,
     though he may lack tact or eloquence.
Unencumbered by pride or reputation,
     he often sees more clearly than the experts.
With childlike honesty, he will give you his view,
     and be delighted that you asked for it.


Divine Guidance

Tech support is available from our manufacturer.
     Call him -- anytime, any topic, no cost!
Smarter than Google, though slower than a turtle,
     with answers tailored to your needs.
It’s not necessary to put your question into words,
     or even into complete thoughts.

You won’t be addressed by a voice from the sky –
     unless you’re Charlton Heston.
It will be more like a telepathic message
     from Jiminy Cricket, perhaps when you’re asleep.
Wish upon that star … then wait … patiently ... quietly …
     and the answer will seep into you.

Without your knowing when it happened,
     you’ll realize that you can see more clearly.
When you get this gift that some call Grace,
     do what Mom taught you: say, “Thank You!”.
Somehow, the fog will have faded away –
     and you will know what is right and true.


AFTERWORD -- An Earworm for You to Sing and Share

“Has anybody here --
     seen a judge and a victim?
Can you tell me where they hide?”
     “I thought I saw them trudgin’
Down the road to Perfection,
     with Anger, a Martyr, and Pride.”


LAST WORD

Copyright 2010, V. J. Lucid and The Attention Deficit Compan
      but feel free to forward it to friends.
It’s too big to chew without cutting it up,
      so each part and many verses are written to stand alone.
If you like it,  please tell DrSpeedbump@DrSpeedbump.com
If you don’t like it, you can't image the size of the dust bunny I do not give.

On the Road

Sometimes,
you meet pilgrims
who appear to be going your way.

But,
walking side-by-side
doesn't mean you share the same goal.

Why
assume a common goal
when you started in different places?

So,
run your own race
and stay in your own lane 'til the end.

If You Close the Door ...

So,
you think no one can hurt you
if you close the door
and lock it from within.

Now,
no one can hear you
no one can help you.
no one can even ask "How are you?"

Soon,
your friends stop trying.
You think no one can hurt you?
Someone just did.

A SPECIAL BLESSING for SOMEONE I'VE KNOWN ALL MY LIFE

FOR ME

May Wisdom find me.
May Enlightenment guide me.
May I be marinated in Serenity, day and night.
May my Confidence and Humility learn to get along.

May my weaknesses become my strengths.
May Anxiety be transformed into Enthusiasm,
Obsessiveness into Endurance, Sadness into Serenity
Restlessness into Motivation, and Distraction into Imagination.

May I love myself as I love my neighbor.
May I be aware and accepting of whatever Love is offered to me.
May my Expectations of others dissolve in Mindfulness that they, too,
      are learning how to give and accept Love; and they may be repeating a grade.

May I notice the absence of physical pain, as well its presence.
May my pain remind me of the agony Christ quietly accepted for me.
May it serve as my offering on behalf of one of the multitude of Innocents
      who are suffering today from Hunger, Disease, Injustice, Oppression and Abuse.*

May I never forget that I am a Child of God.
May I have Faith in Him to match his Faith in Me.
May I realize that I do not have to earn His Guidance, Protection and Love.
May I muster enough Courage, each day, to show up for the Life He has planned for me.

*Even as I write this, the pain in my feet subsides considerably, replaced by warmth and a gentle tingling. I hope this means my offering was accepted -- and I wonder who and where is the beneficiary.

A few Haiku pour vous

A REFLECTION at LAKE NEATAWANA
February 24, 1997

A gull with a limp
is still majestic in flight.
Be not quick to judge.

A REALITY TRILOGY
February 9, 2010

I wait in Silence
hoping that a Dream will come
and swallow me whole.


Reality dawns
to awaken me again,
so I close the shade.


Real Life rings loudly,
but I don't want to wake up.
Where's the snooze button?

YODISH WISDOM
June 18-ish, 2010

Hurts, to walk, it does
If, on comfort, you insist
For the hearse, here wait

PONDERING LIFE AFTER DEATH and RAMBLING ON about it, too.

PONDERING

Will there be Life after Death?
Will we find God or Nothing?
We need not fear -- it doesn't matter.
A difference without a distinction.

If there is no afterlife, we won't know it.
If there is, it is beyond knowing,
at least until we get there.
What's the difference between unknown and unknowable?

Two questions,
but just one answer.
One Truth.
One.

RAMBLING ON

We've heard it again and again,
this same answer to many other questions:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega"
"In the end, there can be only One."
"E Pluribus Unum."
"One, singular sensation ..."
"Om."
"We get to carry each other.
      One. One."
One.
"What's so hard about that?

HAIKU TEE-SHIRTS ? Why Not?

Knowing the answers
is not as important as
knowing who to ask.

This Haiku is the first of Dr Speedbump's
serious, satirical and silly Smarty-Pants Slogans
to be available on Tee-shirts, mens' or ladies',
in your choice of size and color
through Zazzle.com

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on a pin-back button and put it on any old Tee shirt or cap.
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