No matter how dark life can get.
All will end.
The good.
The bad.
Impermanence surrounds each moment.
Everything will be okay.
Allow patience & faith to guide you.
Keep going.
No matter how dark life can get.
All will end.
The good.
The bad.
Impermanence surrounds each moment.
Everything will be okay.
Allow patience & faith to guide you.
Keep going.
A grandfather & his grandkids sit around a campfire on a cold winters night. The grandkids ask their grandfather to tell them a scary story. The grandfather takes a deep breath, knowing this story could have a huge impact on his grandkids. In the distance, a coyote howls into the deep silence of the forest.
The flame flickers
The moon shines into the cold night
As the grandfather tells his tale
His grandkids hearts drop
As they listen carefully to each word
Our past is not our past
If we refuse to let it go
The wise grandfather proclaimed
The ghosts of the past are real
They are dark creatures
More powerful then any demon
For they torment you
Day or night
They even follow you into your dreams
They steal your joy
Bring endless suffering
These ghosts
Lock you in a jail of regret
“How do you get out of this jail?!”
His grandkids screamed into silence of the night
“It’s simple but difficult” the grandfather proclaimed
The key to your freedom is the power of letting go
If you let go of the attachment, regret, and sorrow of your past the ghosts will disappear into the nights sky
Only to be seen time to time
To guide you on a different path then what led you to your own sufferings
Do not fight the ghosts, that is their fuel
Accept your past with compassion
For the past is gone
This exact moment is what matters
The grandkids slept good in their tents that night knowing that they are not helpless to these ghosts. The grandfather knew his grandkids would most likely have to learn the same way he did, through clinging to his past mistakes of infidelity, lying, and addictions. They will find their own way.
When we seek to understand
Compassion grows
Where there is compassion
Love begins
Where there is love
Peace is possible
Where there is peace
Joy is found
At this beautiful moment
Transformation can occur
I have lived in paradise
Warm weather
Palm trees
Tall lush mountains above me
I have travelled far & wide
In search of adventure
Hawaii
Japan
New Zealand
Vietnam
Thailand
I have been tested on this journey
Brought down to my knees
Fearful of uncertainty
But I kept going
Faith in the path unknown
As I pack my bag one last time
Tears fall down my cheeks
Joy of the many great memories
Flooding my mind
Many new friends
So much growth
Beautiful mountains, ocean, & people
It was worth every penny spent
Worth every fearful moment
On my path unknown
Billions of humans
All which are holy
No matter
How lost
Broken
Confused
Hurt
Blinded by anger
Suffocated in fear
I vow to see the holiness in all
But first
I must treat myself
As a holy man
No matter how lost
Or broken I am.
When I’m gone
I’ll become a flower
When I leave
I’ll become a mighty oak tree
Matter
Is infinite
Never created
Never destroyed
So can we truly die?
Or can we only transform?
One breath at a time
One step at a time
I ascend up a steep mountain
A forest so lush it blocks the sun
As I reach the summit
A sudden storm appears above
Rain & wind torment me to no end
I start to run as fast as I can
Anything to escape this dangerous storm
A dark creature appears from the darkest depths of the forest
What do you want? I shout
It doesn’t answer me
I begin to move towards the creature
Fear filling every ounce of my soul
The creature runs away as I chase it
I hear its painful screams echoing within the forest
I finally catch this creature
What…. I can’t believe what I’m seeing
The creature is the darkest part of me
He was banished to the depths of the darkest forests
Suppressed, ridiculed, & beaten the creature laid wounded on the ground
Sobbing uncontrollably
I extend my arm to him
Picking up the creature I was astonished by how frail & weak it had become from my neglect
Yet so powerful to cause such powerful storms
I carried the creature back to my home, letting him rest and repair from all of the abuse
Thank you, said the creature as it gained consciousness once more
Anytime, I replied.
I’m so sorry that I banished you to the dark forest
You are part of me & always will be
I promise to shed light into the darkest part of the forest

Fear bubbles underneath the volcanoes surface.
Pain filled smoke seeping to the surface.
Anger, hatred, & rage boiling inside.
Until one day,
A vicious explosion destroys all in it’s path.
Leaving only pain & suffering to all.
Innocence lost in a moment.
How could this happen?
Will there ever be peace?
Fear, anger, hatred, & rage live within all of us.
Simmering under the surface.
Compassion leads us to love & understanding.
Love & understand can tame the simmering flames within us.
Peace begins & ends with us.
This poem is in response to the Christchurch mosque shooting on 15 March 2019. RIP to all who lost their lives and condolences to all who were touched.