Poem by Czeslaw Milosz
Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills -
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.
Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn`t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn't always understand.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
life in motion II
life in motion
sitting in a car moving through traffic in vietnam, especially saigon can be a zen experience.
there are lanes yet no one pays attention. there are no manners of making turns from a particular side of the road to another.
crossing the street for a pedestrian from the viewpoint of an outsider seems as perilous as walking across a freeway in the states. however, there is an organized chaos to it all. if one watches the traffic from above, it will look like water flowing down a stream in particles made of people, mopeds, cars and the occasional bus. but unlike water it doesn't all flow in one direction. it flows closer to the way ants flow. they go in all directions and seem to bump into each other, sometimes catastrophically but rarely do.
as someone riding in a car, your first instinct is to cringe but after a couple of deep breaths you can relax and just watch the motion. strangely enough, it occurs to you that everyone on the road has the same expectation that everyone will figure out a path to get where they are going without careening into one another. at first it might seem like inattention then later you realize that it is some sort of faith, or something like that...in any case, there is a lesson there i think. it may not be obvious but there is definitely a lesson there.
sitting in a car moving through traffic in vietnam, especially saigon can be a zen experience.
there are lanes yet no one pays attention. there are no manners of making turns from a particular side of the road to another.
crossing the street for a pedestrian from the viewpoint of an outsider seems as perilous as walking across a freeway in the states. however, there is an organized chaos to it all. if one watches the traffic from above, it will look like water flowing down a stream in particles made of people, mopeds, cars and the occasional bus. but unlike water it doesn't all flow in one direction. it flows closer to the way ants flow. they go in all directions and seem to bump into each other, sometimes catastrophically but rarely do.
as someone riding in a car, your first instinct is to cringe but after a couple of deep breaths you can relax and just watch the motion. strangely enough, it occurs to you that everyone on the road has the same expectation that everyone will figure out a path to get where they are going without careening into one another. at first it might seem like inattention then later you realize that it is some sort of faith, or something like that...in any case, there is a lesson there i think. it may not be obvious but there is definitely a lesson there.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
view from hotel, hanoi
view from the hotel. from sixteen floors up, the moped traffic is akin to an ant farm with thousands of little creatures moving about like water flowing around stationary objects
Saturday, June 25, 2005
flags in temple altar room
at a temple in Hue. see more pictures from this set at http://flickr.com/photos/horselatitudes
Thursday, June 23, 2005
95 degrees
yesterday was the grand opening of Tue Tind Duong free clinic in Hue, Vietnam. we attended the ceremony and it was a success. the show of support was incredible. standing room only. standing on the balcony of the third floor looking at people arriving, one can't help but be moved by visions of old monks and nuns making their way to attend the opening in 95 degree heat and close to 100% humidity by foot, bicycle or moped. the staff who were helping out ranged from the young to old from various walks of life. in the back area being used as a kitchen, women stooped over huge baskets of vegetables, slicing and dicing away. at another corner, there were portable burners set up. all in all the logistics going on in the porch there would have rivaled a modern resto kitchen able to serve a hundred people at a time. in fact, there would be aboout 350 people eating this afternoon following the ceremony. it was amazing to walk through the building and photograph room by room. they were currently brand new, unused. i thought to myself that in months if i came back these rooms would be filled with patients and caretakers. there would be a different kind of bustle going on here. perhaps not quiteas festive as today but in the long run, much more important. for many people, this free clinic is their only option of getting medical care of any sort. in a country of 80 million people, there are only about 825 hospitals. i am reminded why this is good work.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
fulfilling wanderlust
first leg of trip over, taipei intl airport just after sunrise. i survived cramped conditions on an airplane full of kids but survived intact. even slept most of the way. i gave thanks for having a small frame and being able to stretch out even in economy class!
another leg and i shall be home...
almost home again
strange place but somehow familiar
it’s either the faces or something in my chest
a feeling like the swell of the ocean
in a space the size of one’s fist
there is no fear of the ocean’s depth
it’s a place something could drift forever
and never quite touch bottom
but when on land and oh so close
to the deep blue’s sanctuary
one never asks why but dwells on how
it’s a pull to origins
the mechanics of reason are left on the sand
another leg and i shall be home...
almost home again
strange place but somehow familiar
it’s either the faces or something in my chest
a feeling like the swell of the ocean
in a space the size of one’s fist
there is no fear of the ocean’s depth
it’s a place something could drift forever
and never quite touch bottom
but when on land and oh so close
to the deep blue’s sanctuary
one never asks why but dwells on how
it’s a pull to origins
the mechanics of reason are left on the sand
Sunday, June 19, 2005
rain drums
this season’s rain
comes to me like angels
striking bronze drums.
pre-iron age staccato
striking old rhythms
still looking for answers
from so long ago
eons pass but the struggle,
the same. purposely, i ask
questions without answers.
answers aren’t resolution,
only skeletons of desire.
metallic artifacts buried in silt.
comes to me like angels
striking bronze drums.
pre-iron age staccato
striking old rhythms
still looking for answers
from so long ago
eons pass but the struggle,
the same. purposely, i ask
questions without answers.
answers aren’t resolution,
only skeletons of desire.
metallic artifacts buried in silt.
making the world nicer
my horoscope for the day:
"Even in your grubby errand-running clothes, you're undeniably appealing. Yes, they're looking at you, so don't just stand there -- smile and say hi. Make the world a nicer place, one person at a time."
oh dear, here it goes again. that constant struggle between being intelligent and useful vs being an ass. heheheh
"Even in your grubby errand-running clothes, you're undeniably appealing. Yes, they're looking at you, so don't just stand there -- smile and say hi. Make the world a nicer place, one person at a time."
oh dear, here it goes again. that constant struggle between being intelligent and useful vs being an ass. heheheh
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
it is a mystery
life is full of mysteries and when i think i'm finished with being confused by one, it gives me another. firefly says i'm confused about being confused. how on the point is that?
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
spiky
so i'm walking around a street corner and see this beautiful old asian woman standing there. it is late afternoon and she has a straw hat on. i notice in her hands she is holding four maple seed pods with stems intact. my first thought is i've never seen anyone collect those before. they are sharp and mean looking and as a kid they are what you avoid cause stepping on them barefoot on a lawn is very painful.
i smile to her as i pass and she says something to me. i do a double take cause i didn't understand a thing. she tilts her head and says it again very gently but direct. ah, it's japanese. no wonder i don't understand. she points south across the street and asks something but my japanese is so long gone i can barely order sushi. all i can make out is "ikimasu" and then she pauses and looks at me and says, "anata wa wakarinaidesuka?" i don't know what happened but i understood her. something clicked. i nodded and motioned for her to come over to where i'm standing and show her the crosswalk light button and then point across the street at the light. i press the button and then stand next to her and wait. when the light turns, i point and say, "ikimasu yo..." she looks up at me and replies, "arigato, arigato!" i nod, smile and she crosses.
it's moments like these that can make your worst day turn...
i smile to her as i pass and she says something to me. i do a double take cause i didn't understand a thing. she tilts her head and says it again very gently but direct. ah, it's japanese. no wonder i don't understand. she points south across the street and asks something but my japanese is so long gone i can barely order sushi. all i can make out is "ikimasu" and then she pauses and looks at me and says, "anata wa wakarinaidesuka?" i don't know what happened but i understood her. something clicked. i nodded and motioned for her to come over to where i'm standing and show her the crosswalk light button and then point across the street at the light. i press the button and then stand next to her and wait. when the light turns, i point and say, "ikimasu yo..." she looks up at me and replies, "arigato, arigato!" i nod, smile and she crosses.
it's moments like these that can make your worst day turn...
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
trained behavior
early morning tv news.
the guys are sitting there barely awake yet transfixed to the tv and all its shallow and irrelevant stories such as the "finger in the chili at wendy's woman's court case." believe it or not, some people try very hard to turn such a subject into socio-philosophical discussion.
the next story that comes on is one about pit bull owners and the usual controversies surrounding them. pedro gives a sigh. someone else says, "they are just dogs. it is all dependent on how they are trained when they are young." another disagrees citing some horror story. i glance at the faces and stand up as i slip the ibook into its sleeve and prepare to leave the room, "they ARE trainable, of course you can train them. they are dogs. if you guys can be trained to wake up and lose yourself into the banality of the local morning news every single day then i can sure as hell train a pit bull to behave any way i'd like it to."
faces momentarily glance at me, trying to absorb what i just stated. there are no voices behind me except for the meteorologist saying that there is a good chance of rain today. i look through the kitchen and out the back door. there is a drizzle coming down. duh!
the guys are sitting there barely awake yet transfixed to the tv and all its shallow and irrelevant stories such as the "finger in the chili at wendy's woman's court case." believe it or not, some people try very hard to turn such a subject into socio-philosophical discussion.
the next story that comes on is one about pit bull owners and the usual controversies surrounding them. pedro gives a sigh. someone else says, "they are just dogs. it is all dependent on how they are trained when they are young." another disagrees citing some horror story. i glance at the faces and stand up as i slip the ibook into its sleeve and prepare to leave the room, "they ARE trainable, of course you can train them. they are dogs. if you guys can be trained to wake up and lose yourself into the banality of the local morning news every single day then i can sure as hell train a pit bull to behave any way i'd like it to."
faces momentarily glance at me, trying to absorb what i just stated. there are no voices behind me except for the meteorologist saying that there is a good chance of rain today. i look through the kitchen and out the back door. there is a drizzle coming down. duh!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Monday, May 16, 2005
CowboySon
Dan assured me this would look cool, especially with the folded Buddhist prayer amulet...yeah, right!
C sans Prada
over several cups of tea, a couple of miles worth of strolling, a vegetarian lunch (it's dan's fault), a fantastic crèpe dessert at ti couz, a handful of funky store browsing in the mission district and hayes valley, dan and i have tested the hypothesis and proven that his friend L is indeed "C sans Prada." L kind of looks like C, speaks just like C, her voice sounds like C and is hip like C sans Prada!
dan and i have known C for a long time and we love her dearly but we have come to accept that it is difficult to hang out with her because over the years we have missed out on our "high maintenaince continuance" seminars and are no longer properly certified to be get C's time in any significant alotment. but we have rejoiced since we have found L. this is not to say that we don't want to hang with C or that L is a "replacement" of any sort, such an assessment would be unfair to both. it was simply serendipitous that dan met L. and in this fact, we hope to have many new found moments of laughter in good company together.
having said this, i have to admit that we were in a shoe store on hayes and i picked up a really cool pair of black shoes and showed it to dan. his eyes said, "cool!" i flipped over the shoe to see the price: $348. we frowned, i looked at the heel and saw the logo...in those unmistakably distinctive trapezoidal slab serif letters: PRADA.
dan and i have known C for a long time and we love her dearly but we have come to accept that it is difficult to hang out with her because over the years we have missed out on our "high maintenaince continuance" seminars and are no longer properly certified to be get C's time in any significant alotment. but we have rejoiced since we have found L. this is not to say that we don't want to hang with C or that L is a "replacement" of any sort, such an assessment would be unfair to both. it was simply serendipitous that dan met L. and in this fact, we hope to have many new found moments of laughter in good company together.
having said this, i have to admit that we were in a shoe store on hayes and i picked up a really cool pair of black shoes and showed it to dan. his eyes said, "cool!" i flipped over the shoe to see the price: $348. we frowned, i looked at the heel and saw the logo...in those unmistakably distinctive trapezoidal slab serif letters: PRADA.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
chloe as a nautilus
cats have a better evolved way of dealing with everyday life no matter how insignificant or mind blowing a situation can be they *know* how to deal...
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