Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Cyrano de Bergerac

To sing, to laugh, to dream,

To walk in my own way and be alone,/Free, with an eye to see things as they are,

A voice that means manhood - to cock my hat/Where I choose - At a word, a Yes, a No,

To fight - or write. To travel any road/Under the sun, under the stars, nor doubt

If fame or fortune lie beyond the bourne -/Never to make a line I have not heard

In my own heart; yet, with all modesty/To say: "My soul, be satisfied with flowers,

With fruit, with weeds even; but gather them/In one garden you may call your own."

So when I win some triumph, by some chance,/Render no share to Caeser.

In a word, I am too proud to be a parasite./And if my nature wants the germ that grows

Towering to heaven like a mountain pine,/Or like the oak sheltering multitudes.

I stand not high it may be – but alone!

Friday, February 06, 2009

One's True Abode

Dwelling in one's true abode, unconcerned with this and that, the river flows tranquilly and the flowers are red.

-Kakuan
Chinese, 12th century

Monday, February 02, 2009

Planetwalker

17 years of silence,  22 years of walking.

From the book, Planetwalker, by John Francis:

"It seems that all change begins unseen or at least unnoticed in the journey that we call life."

"Kindness, I have discovered, can come from the most unlikely people in the most unlikely circumstances, making it all the more meaningful."

"On this tiny planet,and in this precious moment, we have the chance to live in peace together."

"Everybody should take a piece of the earth and walk in the spirit of peace, courageously encountering whatever they find."