Well... So much for blogging regularly, huh? Sorry to disappoint, but I'll be sure to get in a few more posts before I leave, and post some pictures once I'm home. For the moment, I would like to share a couple slam poems that I've written since arriving at Kalani, one of which I shared at an open mic night a few weeks ago. They are best when read aloud.
The Heartbeat
Palm trees slice green daggers through the sunshine, crossing swords with my line of sight as I gaze sky-wards in my search for inspiration, search for words, search to describe this sensation, this deep appreciation blocking any cogitation, leading me to deviation: thank you kindly for your patience as you wait for a statement on love, life, or the state of this nation. But my thoughts at the moment insist on new direction, direct my eyes once again towards the sky pierced by those rippling green knives swaying in time to the beat of the isle. Quiet. Listen for a while: the same heartbeat that moves the trees to dance resonates in the earth beneath your feet, its rhythm flowing through these plants, hypnotic power to entrance, enthrall, enhance your state of mind, rewind and roll with chance. Hear the drumbeat? That is the soul of Hawaii, its pulse complete, it draws the wind across the trees, pounds deep in the earth since its birth from the sea, its rhythm flowing from you to me.
Untitled, or Walking Meditation
Let me take you on a walking meditation: Let me take you on a walking meditation-- no time to wander or suffer impatience, just focus on the task at hand, stand, put one foot in front of the other; come let us journey together; let your feet carry your body through your mind, and you will find that it is a playground, yes your mind is a playground: swing from the monkey bars of your imagination, skip through the hopscotch of your own creation, and don't worry 'bout the bully in the corner because you can erase him. This is your playground, and you get to decide what surrounds your thoughts, what goes down and not. When you play tag with yourself you choose if you win or lose; you climb the rope ladder you can jump to the top. And when the bell rings to send you back to class, well, that's the world calling, urging you to hop off the see-saw and hurry, fast. But linger a moment longer, be the bad kid for a change and don't answer right away; take your time on the slide, and only when you're damn well ready, go back inside.
The Heartbeat
Palm trees slice green daggers through the sunshine, crossing swords with my line of sight as I gaze sky-wards in my search for inspiration, search for words, search to describe this sensation, this deep appreciation blocking any cogitation, leading me to deviation: thank you kindly for your patience as you wait for a statement on love, life, or the state of this nation. But my thoughts at the moment insist on new direction, direct my eyes once again towards the sky pierced by those rippling green knives swaying in time to the beat of the isle. Quiet. Listen for a while: the same heartbeat that moves the trees to dance resonates in the earth beneath your feet, its rhythm flowing through these plants, hypnotic power to entrance, enthrall, enhance your state of mind, rewind and roll with chance. Hear the drumbeat? That is the soul of Hawaii, its pulse complete, it draws the wind across the trees, pounds deep in the earth since its birth from the sea, its rhythm flowing from you to me.
Untitled, or Walking Meditation
Let me take you on a walking meditation: Let me take you on a walking meditation-- no time to wander or suffer impatience, just focus on the task at hand, stand, put one foot in front of the other; come let us journey together; let your feet carry your body through your mind, and you will find that it is a playground, yes your mind is a playground: swing from the monkey bars of your imagination, skip through the hopscotch of your own creation, and don't worry 'bout the bully in the corner because you can erase him. This is your playground, and you get to decide what surrounds your thoughts, what goes down and not. When you play tag with yourself you choose if you win or lose; you climb the rope ladder you can jump to the top. And when the bell rings to send you back to class, well, that's the world calling, urging you to hop off the see-saw and hurry, fast. But linger a moment longer, be the bad kid for a change and don't answer right away; take your time on the slide, and only when you're damn well ready, go back inside.
~
