Creative Avenue

Featuring: Let Yourself

2009-07-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Let yourself enjoy life, right now. Let yourself find fulfillment in whatever you're doing.

Allow joy to flow easily and naturally through you. Let it come, let it go, and let more arrive to take its place.

Transcend the difficulties by releasing your thoughts of how difficult they are. Simply live your way through them, moment by moment, growing and building value all the time.

Allow life's beauty and pleasure to envelop you. Hold no guilt or worry about what should have been or what might be.

Let yourself think and act in the moment, unafraid and not at all intimidated. Let yourself discover how astonishingly effective you can be.

Don't put life off until later or think you can run away from it. In this moment, and always, let yourself live.

Notes:

This great article was writtend by Ralph Marston - a passionate motivator with such profound wisdom. This post was actually sent by my friend Agnes and I felt that I need to share this wonderful piece. Thanks to Agnes and Mr. Marston. To know more about Mr. Marston, you may want to check this site: http://greatday.com/ralph/personal.html.

Freedom is priceless

2009-05-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

My feet were clad in hot iron,

Arms leashed at my back with thick hemp,

Near my spine, it pushed like sharp pricks.

My head was punctured with thorns,

My lips were sewn with bronze wire;

Oh my eyes, were covered with huge lumps of mud.

But I could still breathe....

But why?

I knew then, how freedom is priceless.

I knew then, why the mighty hawk had to soar the sky,

I knew then, why fishes swam the vast oceans,

I knew then, why my Master gave me will.

Mental Race

2009-05-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

I yearn to catch a glimpse of life's beauty
Painted with colorful music, to the ear so lovely,
A sickening pandemonium now, still existent
All the sky is but grey and so gloomy, it's belligerent.

My wish for peace in the world is real and not folly
My yearning of joy is half filled - more than empty,
The stork taking mile trips to the rough horizon
Will have refuge in another land deeply barren.

We nest in hope and all sorts of victories of love
We even worship others' might and what they have
It's no wrong to go with the flow as to bend and not break
But are we giving ourselves enough in the process and not just bleak?

My old soul has been dealt with old practices,
Never will this old soul forsake the yearning, not of malice,
For when the dark eyed monster of the west will fall
We shall see ourselves too in shanties in multitudes with no wall.

If I may want to cast away all the doubts in my head
Will my heart forget all of it and go for a new and greener lead,
If it will eventually remember all the deals I have done,
How to explain it to my Father? I am so hugely gone....

I would want to be blown then by the great winds
Be dipped in the deepest trenches of my thoughts to find,
To find, that's it! Look myself from above and seek my innermost self
Wherever this abyss leads me or tricks me like an innocent ant in a delf.

Featuring: Imitation

2009-05-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

A dark unfathomed tide
Of interminable pride -
A mystery, and a dream,
Should my early life seem;
I say that dream was fraught
With a wild and waking thought
Of beings that have been,
Which my spirit hath not seen,
Had I let them pass me by,
With a dreaming eye!
Let none of earth inherit
That vision of my spirit;
Those thoughts I would control,
As a spell upon his soul:
For that bright hope at last
And that light time have past,
And my worldly rest hath gone
With a sigh as it passed on:
I care not though it perish
With a thought I then did cherish.

Notes: I so love this poem from Sir Edgar Allan Poe. He is a genius :)

Array or Disarray

2009-04-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Mayhem of doubts and fears beneath the sea,

It has it's own core, it's gravity.

Can't escape from it's coat like a pea,

Try it? Oh, shying with frailty.

Mostly like a squall from the south.

Pierced with a dagger, not blunt,

Caressed softly by massive blows from the mouth.

Crippled thoughts like a mouse in a hunt.

The forlorn of roses is where thorns are shaken

More like a grieving young in a barn.

To see fleeing birds away from a nest that has fallen

Hues of illusion, dissolved in a mist without warn.

Jackpot at the end of the rainbow, not just gold

Goods for human spirit, don't swallow,

Care to every chance, and in tens if will fold

It's morning, new cyclic leaps to follow.

Featuring: Dust in the wind

2009-04-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

Dust in the wind
By: Kansas

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Notes:
Written by Kerry Livgren of the band Kansas. This is one of the songs I love. The lyrics is really strong and basically wanting to tell right in our very eyes how things are to change and that nothing lasts. Here is a clip of Kansas' live performance and thanks to youtube.

We're Strangers

2009-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

You were the bird and I am the sky,
My white fur would turn clear and deep blue
For when your chirps are so beautiful in my ears,
Wings flying around me but never touching....

You were the leaves and I am the bough,
Verdant full of life and your consuming beauty
The times own you and you age so beautifully,
Clinging in my strength but never devouring....

You were the fish and I am the ocean,
Your life is so free like you make it your haven
Tiny delicate fins are awesome and you're fast,
Swimming tirelessly through me but never embracing....

You were the grass and I am the wind,
Sways like a ballerina in a field
Youthful and adoring to the sight,
Dancing in my sweet melody but never seizing....

A Beautiful Expression

2009-01-20T02:10:00.000-08:00

A colorful expression of beauty - beyond grace
The rainbow's illuminating like slender daffodils,
Full of pristine lush - verdant meadows covering the earth
Black loam, windy hills with shoots of grass in birth.

Excited! Jumping from the music in the palm of nature
Breeze sing, all hail the joyful melodies of the azure,
A surrender not final but in suspension of worlds
Gently etched in the bosom of a naked memory in folds.

Smiles so pure and twinkling eyes of sea's surface
A reflection of unending appreciation of love's face,
Kaleidoscope's joining the waves of life and in jive
Spaced beneath the untiring bees settled inside a hive.

To the sun, it's the corona in red hot pot
It can burn, obviously - but this one is not,
Half of the time the many splendorous it becomes
For the name is universal - found niches, true realms.

Border less like the universe and conquered by few
Much to my surprise I'm getting there with my life anew.
Wishing the tides to surf aren't deadly as the Pacific
My feet are floating, riding the craft powered in infinite sonic.

It's not logical to be in this dream inside a red bosom
But the joys are much more than the minuscule beat of a drum,
You can have your senses in glee, full of reckless abandon
Seize the chance and live with it before it's good gone.

Loneliness

2008-12-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's a gray swirling cloud inside a crystal clear glass
Empty, deep and ravaging with inner tides, strong thugs.
It has four red eyes, sunken and afloat like mini protrusions.
Huge devouring mouth with silly grin - a mocking one.
How funny, it's toothless.
But inside its throat, there lies sharp criss-crossed canines,
That which can swallow a space vacuum.
It swirls like a merry-go-round.
It's faster when a victim falls on it.
A victim's scream would be impossible to hear.
It's even difficult to get out of it.
It can suck the whole strength of its prey.
Worse, anytime it can take a victim's life.

It's Christmas

2008-12-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

It's joy filling the air
Corner strips dressed, not bare.
Blue, green and red with flare
A tale no more in fare.

It's Christmas, hear yeah!
He has found you and me.
Enjoy the best holiday
And a merry one to our family.

I have gifts for you
Share yours to anyone too.
Be reminded of love and care,
Be glad for Christmas is here.

Take away the worries and smirks,
Dress the holiday with smiles.
Fill the air with gladness
It's Christmas and happiness is free!

Featuring: Desiderata

2008-11-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

Desiderata
by : Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Notes:
Max Ehrmann is a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. I was inspired by this poem when I was a sixth grader and created a collage with it. This powerful piece of literary work has never failed to remind me of how to live life and never ceases to make a mark in my everyday sojourns.

Featuring: How Do I Love Thee?

2008-11-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

How Do I Love Thee?
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith
I love thee with a love I seem to love
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Notes:
I got to know this poem when I was in junior high. Really beautiful and it resounds to the deepest trenches of my heart. Thanks to the genius of Elizabeth Browning and thanks also to Ms. M. Perez for sharing this poem to me.

Freedom

2008-11-11T04:07:00.000-08:00

I would love to run naked in the wild

Bask my whole body with sweet misty air;

Chase the birds and cling to the vines.

Shout my heart and sing aloud? Definitely!

I know nobody can hear me,

I know I am the freest being.

Smelling the scent of the forest,

Touching and feeling the earth - barefoot,

Catching the deers and hopping with delight,

To race with the wild beast with might.

I know I won't be forever young.

The knuckles on my feet have been crushed.

This will be a great adventure,

Be with the wild, free so pure.

Notes:
This Oblation photo was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Oblationdiliman.jpg

Journey

2008-11-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Trusting my feet to walk the ways of the noble,
Beholding myself and cleansing from within;
I can not see the path ahead of me,
And my fate, what is it's destiny?

My hands were holding the glowing torch,
Guiding my morals and speaking to my soul;
I have never thought if I can make it,
And my dignity, can it bear the tides?

Arguing my might to surrender itself for justice,
Stripping my lips off the malevolence;
I hope my ears can hear enough what's to hear,
And my wisdom of truth, how can it blossom?

My sense of the world is ever young.
Singing it's heart with all it's yearning;
I feel that it shall not pass,
And my greed, when can it be defaced?

What or May

2008-11-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

What you see in the azure sky,
May not necessarily fall down.

What you put on your spacious pockets,
May not be the coolest sunshine.

What you dream in the sweet nights,
May proceed as nightmares later.

What you preach for today,
May become your own joys.

What you seek in the vast ocean,
May show up in the lake.

What you think for the moment,
May outlive the pyramids in Giza.

What you breathe in this colorful day,
May be a dust from your eyes.

What you write on a plain canvas,
May agree to the truths of life.

What you harvest in hard labors,
May somehow cure aching stoops.

What you tire for the weekends,
May come in handy in tomorrow's bliss.

What you drop in an empty street,
May become a fortune to a stranger.

What you draw on your cupboards,
May tell you to walk away.

What you pitch in your office,
May went slow and yet be huge.

What you etched on your doors,
May show faces of smiles for other.

What you give to your foes,
May hold them and set you free.

What you wear on your feet,
May take you to beyond.

What you count on your fingers,
May shoot the distant stars.

What you become today,
May spell the person you have been.

Death

2008-11-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

It's the swirling grey clouds in a vacuum,

The blue hues in the sky turning blood.

It's the only light in a silent evening,

The harsh rain of tears in Christmas.

It's the sole reflection in a moon-shaped mirror,

The single speck of image drawn in canvas.

It's the scattered ash of hope in the river,

The new meaning of sojourns.

It's the coldest night in the Arctic,

The communism in China or old Russia?

It's the rivety running rabbit

The hungry fox - sharped fangs.

It's the empty head,

The wisdom of the fools?

It's the facade of the twin towers,

The screams and more screams of innocents.

It's the hunger in Africa,

The rough hands and feet of the laborers.

It's the wailing of all mouths,

The limited air of freedom.

It's the bald mountain,

The progress of nations.

It's the laugh of the faceless earth,

The curse to someone.

Sunset

2008-10-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Down in memory lane
You were the sunset, glaring;
Fading yet very lovely
A beacon, trying to leave.

Kissing the ocean's surface
Stroking its rough crevices,
Giving enough, just enough
Take toll of tomorrow's sight.

Sonata of the heavens
Flickering much to see not;
Trips and hops of hues - gone rays
Yet you'll visit once again.

Cover the grayish sky
Ember red or brick red.
Fill it with your every soul
Sunset, leave me no more.

Your heart speaks

2008-10-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

I want to listen what my heart speaks to me

To make me feel that I am free once again,

And take me, far away from this insolence

Beyond the distant solitude - lovely home,

Beyond the crevice of the lips that are bold.

Bring to me more life and then give it meaning.

This is how I believed simplistic beauty.

That's to endure the time that challenges me.

If there are more words from the heart, utter them

Let me hear them, savor from the only truth,

I believed in them long before they were told.

But how can something that is not real, exists?

The shape of things that are from rote memory,

May not be real but are truths within myself.

I can't further argue nor give a harangue

Because this is an abstraction of beauty.

Where love creeps and soothes, not just your eyes or veins

But to the soul or mind, not just your being.

One can not fully grasp up until it calls,

The swaying chimes and the harmony in dawn

Are two of glorious music to deeply know.

If you have heard them, then listen to your heart!

It tells more than you can imagine your life.

Facades

2008-10-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Solemn shots of love

Strips of memoirs
News from heaven
Rays of the sun;
Days of fun
Hugs given
Smiles of flowers
Hope from a dove.

Murmurs of brooks
Knots to tie
War in the east
Cup of life
More evil and strife;
Rabbit and the beast
Honey and pie
Money for books.

Hate for tomorrow
Stench to blow
Breaking silence
Arguing mouths;
Eyes of sleuths
Spirited insolence
Held to grow
Escape from sorrow.

Bricks of fame
Mongerel's shadow
Abnormal happiness
Righteous indignation;
Outdoor action
Fear of emptiness
Heart's hollow
Only fair game.

Stabbed honesty
Wailing walls
Journey to oasis
Empty hands;
Cold bands
Face your nemesis
Happy strolls
Less blasphemy.

Marching eagles
Eyes of youth
Sleepy papers
View from afar;
Voided jar
Mushrooming scrapers
Arrayed booth
Heavy knuckles

Still waters
Monster feat
Golden touch
Souls bargained;
Joys harbored
Unlit torch
Scolded feet
Settled matters.

Child

2008-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am a child of my mother's pure love

Like a flower that blooms in mid-day spring

So dear, a perfect present from above,

Face full of peace - a smile it truly brings.

Hope to see a nice and beautiful world

Full of promises and enchanting bliss,

I will seek goodness, with love I will hold

Honor my mother, I will never miss.

I am excited of tomorrow's trip

When my arms and feet are strong and great,

My journey will be long with that ship

I will carry bags of freedom - no hate.

My youth will be filled with joys, less sorrows

But I'm stronger and so I won't falter.

I will obey what my heart bellows

My mother has taught me that I am sure.

Yes, I am a child and will remain be

Growing old with grace one step at a time,

Though I can't wait to see the world with glee

I shall sleep very well and dream my rhyme.

Just for you.

2008-10-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

The night is getting colder and colder;

Winds whispering in my ears so softly

Humming in my head, speaking to my soul.

When will be the night she would have to come?

My waiting in vain is my true purpose

Why can't the universe agree with it?

I have sent my words to the sky for you

I would like to tell you that I love you.

I have painted the sky into brick red,

Sunflowers into pink, yellow birds orange.

I will see to it that when you come here,

You will never be taken away soon.

Mother moon is glowing with might so full.

It meets the morning glory of the sun.

I will pick all of the gems in the sea.

Gather all of these riches just for you.

The night is getting colder and colder

Still hoping, longing, waiting just for you.

Beauty I failed....

2008-10-31T09:38:00.001-07:00

The lips of the sky seems light
Pure with touch and might
Must be a place to hide
Oh no! I shied.

Whirling clouds leaping over
Galloping horses as they hover
Racing to the end so fast
My eyes felt aghast.

Wind of the east is so smooth
To the touch it should soothe
Gliding like fairies everywhere
How can I not be there.

Smell of lilac is delightful
Spirits lifted , morning's blissful
Tranquility is ubiquitous
I still am impetuous.

Missing Thoughts

2008-10-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Let the rain pour all throughout the land
Wash away thy despair and rancor
Cleanse thy soul and set it free
Lift it up and let it soar to the heavens.

The space of nothingness has been gone
Yet forever in memories still it clings
Heavens cry pour down fast
Wipe it with all your might and give it serenity.

A bold soul is nothing without you
Come again and again.
Oh I endear the longing
I can not in anyway be back from once before.

Lift me, lift me.
I miss the rain of eternal bliss.
Come again and make me real
The want is not a want as it becomes more of a need.

I will always wait
Waiting in vain is never going to happen
I see your hands lifting me as I thought
Just my imagination maybe, but not.

Oh rain when do you come
My knees will be failing me soon
My tired aching stoops will devour me soon
But my spirit will have to go on.

I will wait... yes I will wait
The waiting of you will be the best thing
I will until eternity
Oh rain, I call you and hear me now.

Conundrum

2008-10-31T03:55:00.001-07:00

I have sailed on boats a hundred times,
But haven't got into a ship.
I wonder where will the ship lead me.
Will it be to the farthest side of the earth or a journey to nowhere?
How is it going to be driven then?
Will I remain as a passenger or will I become the captain?

I want to swim with the whales and dolphins.
But I'm scared of the abyss and the looming darkness....
Are these creatures going to make me their own?
Or will these creatures be there just for the fun?
Might be my guardians or worse, the villains.

I love to have an excursion to the moon.
Mars and Jupiter might be interesting, too.
Should I see humans like me in there?
Will I meet some kind of life beyond my knowing?
But I dont know what to do if such exists though.

I want to play a piano.
A violin's music is simply beautiful and ecstatic!
I want to be a part of an orchestra.
I don't know really if I'm the soloist or the maestro.
But the thought is very entertaining - a virtouso on my own.

I want to meet Albert Einstein.
Should that mean I need to travel back time?
Or should that mean I have to be dead to meet him in Purgatory.
No! I need and love to be alive.
But if these happens, what will we talk about?

I love to volunteer in a world charity.
Countries in war and in hunger are the many areas.
But I need to think if I will survive longer than these inflicted.
But it feels gratifying to help though.
I wish I am a billionaire instead and donate enough fortune.

I like to do a lot of things,
But I don't know which one is for greatness.
I don't know either if it's going to be a means to an end.
All I know is I love to do a lot of things.
I need more time ....

Unspoken

2008-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Picking up thyself from the harsh weather that has disrobed you until the joys of the morning were becoming pinpricks all over your soul and until the night's breeze gave you shivers of discomfort.

Wiping out the tears that has never come out from your eyes' pitiful ferret of the surrounding ghosts of your past and yet to come.

The waking of a nightmare's haunt from the chauvinistic fate that has led so much of your strength to a fatal emptiness.

The grasp that you can take to a single hope seemed fainting from the unforeseen pull of tides repelling the connection more and more by which a thousand hurdles can not and will never give a chance of redemption.

The sole of your feet being cold and stripped of vigor still willing to go on of the fight that you thought and believe can still be won in spite of the very fact that the battle was over and well beyond your knowing that has been denied by your failing senses....

Your comrades were just there staring and watching you like shadows of mockery confusing and toppling your sanity until you beg for mercy which in truth will not come.

The hillside Riviera are in ruins and its dilapidated remnants were all your aching hands and your tired aching stoop could hear and see; least your olfactory can taste the bitterness your eyes can show.

The verdant grassland has turned into yellowish rubbish accompanying the misery you felt within your being. I hate to say that you were becoming nothing of the world you have had giving your strength and talent - offerings of your youth has been of no value in the sight of your fate.

Bravado has been the last retort and the might you were still holding were ceasing for extinction. Your walks and strides has now become a creep.

You were transformed into a low level being just like bugs. You now taste the earth which appeared awful as you have recalled the indulgence you have had when you were careless and free.

The judgment of your last breath was fast approaching. Your crawls on the earth have become slower.

Nails on your feet and fingers were cracking and were deforming that has added the pain every time you tried to move an inch.

The rotten wounds and bruises all over your body stank.

The willows behind you were marching away from the awfulness you have become while the wind's blow has swept to the other side without touching you for it has become fearful of the seemingly dreg you were.

You then began to ask what is going on after knowing that the end is coming.

The deafening silence was becoming so intense and it pained you more because you will never hear the answers as there was nobody but you has taken the path.

The rolling thunders appearing the horizon were coming then and the silence was broken. The rain fell hard. You can feel your body drinking from it - from the thirst of that long journey.

You fed.

The body has been too wrecked that you were not able to satisfy yourself with the waters from heaven instead, it has given you soreness in your limbs and cold frost in your stomach.

You could have wished to just end all of these but you strive to go on knowing that you were better than these.

You tried to hold yourself but your fading acumen could not sustain the needed strength that has long been gone.

All sort of tribulations were then taking your life but you haven’t surrendered though fading you have vowed to draw the last drop of your blood, you have vowed to go on and on until the last air you can breathe still exists and you went on until the earth covered your body so that in oblivion, you would be taken.