from friends to lovers

"From the beginning, Paul and I had an advantage: we were good friends before we were lovers. We really liked each other. We could talk to each other, we could tell each other anything without fear of ridicule or rejection. There was trust." - Joanne Woodward 

you dance inside my chest

"In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art." - my beloved RUMI

capaz de amar con delirio, capaz de hundirse en la tristeza

- 2013 mixed media -

"Tiene la expresión de una flor,
la voz de un pájaro,
y el alma como luna llena,
de un mes de abril...

Tiene en sus palabras calor,
y frío de invierno,
su piel es dura como el árbol,
que azota el viento...

Y tiene el corazón de poeta,
de niño grande y de hombre niño,
capaz de amar con delirio,
capaz de hundirse en la tristeza...

El tiene, el corazón de poeta,
de vagabundo y de mendigo,
y así lo he conocido,
y así me gusta a mi que sea,
que tenga el corazón de poeta...

Tiene la arrogancia del sol,
mirada cándida,
su piel de nieve se hace fuego cerca de mi...

Es amigo y amante fiel,
ve las estrellas,
camina junto a mi soñando,
con cosas bellas...

Y tiene el corazón de poeta,
de niño grande y de hombre niño,
capaz de amar con delirio,
capaz de hundirse en la tristeza...

El tiene, el corazón de poeta,
de vagabundo y de mendigo,
y así lo he conocido
y así me gusta a mi que sea,
que tenga el corazón de poeta..." - JEANETTE

excuse me while I kiss the sky

He flirted with me all day, sending messages whispered through moving clouds.

I smiled back, but hesitated...

...and finally, upon witnessing his irresistable blues, I gave in and kissed him...again and again.

snapshots from my evening stroll

 

true to myself

- mixed media on paper -

I missed Ziggy last night...

"Life has come a long way since yesterday, I say.

And it's not the same old thing over again, I say.

Just do what you feel and don't you fool yourself, I say.

Cause I can't make you happy unless I am, I say...

I got to be true to myself, got to be true to myself...

Day in, day out I've asked many questions, I say.

Only to find - the truth - it never changes, I say.

If you don't deal with it, it keeps killing you a little by little, I say.

Call me selfish if you will - my life I alone can live, I say...

I got to be true to myself, got to be true to myself...

I don't care if it hurts.  I'm tired of lies and all these games.

I've reached a point in life, no longer can I be this way.

Don't come crying to me - I too have shed my share of tears.

I'm moving on, yes, I'm grooving on, well I'm finally free...

I've got to be true to myself, got to be true to myself..."

- Ziggy Marley

beauty as a hooker on this new moon

- 2013 mixed media on paper -

in between giggles of grace, my beloved HAFIZ whispers to me:

"Knowing how she can benefit us, beauty sometimes acts like a hooker. 

Because she knows if we spend an hour with her we will be better off. 

And beauty is right, she is clever.   

When has looking at the graciousness in nature or in art, or hearing some moving music not softened your face, made your touch more wanted, your voice more rich and alive, and the world more bearable. 

And the sweet taste of hope yours and able to impart." - Hafiz

relationships

from The Book of Secrets:

"There are only three kinds of people in your life: those who leave you alone, those who help you, and those who hurt you. People who leave you alone are dealing with your suffering as a nuisance or inconvenience - they prefer to keep their distance in order to feel better about themselves. Those who help you have the strength and awareness to do more with your suffering than you are able to do by yourself. Those who hurt you want the situation to stay the same because they do not have your well-being at heart. Honestly count how many people in each category you have in your life. This isn't the same as counting friends and family members. Assess others solely as they relate to your difficulties. Having made a realistic count, take the following attitude:

- I will no longer bring my problems to anyone who wants to leave me alone. It's not good for them or me. They don't want to help, so I will not ask them.

- I will share my problems with those who want to help me. I will not reject genuine offers of assistance out of pride, insecurity, or doubt. I will ask these people to join me in my healing and make them a bigger part of my life.

- I will put a distance between myself and those who want to hurt me. I do not have to confront them, guilt-trip them, or make them the cause of my self-pity. But I cannot afford to absorb their toxic effect on me, and if that means keeping my distance, I will."  - Deepak Chopra

Perhaps I am in denial of fair-weather relationships...

Perhaps I am naive because I don't believe anyone would want to consciously hurt me...

I do try to keep a distance from people who have a toxic effect on me. I work with my projections and send them blessings, but I need to stay away from their energetic spider webs...

like a puppet on a string

- mixed media on paper -

"...I know now, that I'm way down on your line, but the waiting feel is fine.  So don't treat me like a puppet on a string, cause I know I have to do my thing.  Don't talk to me as if you think I'm dumb...I don't wanna wait in vain for your love...It's me love that you're running from." 
- Bob Marley (1945-1981)

mama zen

sit quietly doing nothing,

spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

- ZEN proverb

Maternal instinct is that protective wild lioness, unafraid to use claws and jaws...unafraid to risk life and strength for her child.

However, sometimes the best protection is allowing our children to learn on their own. Empower them to distinguish danger and yet be unafraid. Show them by example how to get up and stand after a fall.

from my journals

a heightened awareness

- 2011 photograph featuring one of my wearable sculptures -

"We do not interact at random.  We are in each other's lives for spiritual reasons.  We have "business" with one another.  By consciously choosing to focus on why I have met someone, on how I can best serve and expand another, I bring to each encounter a heightened awareness.  As I ask to love all and serve all, I bring forward my spiritual gifts and call forward the gifts of others.  Grace fills every moment when we are truly present.  Sometimes we transit each other's lives like benevolent planets."
- Julia Cameron

you are always welcome near me

"Those kisses you sent, I found them wandering around the house. They were acting a little lost, not knowing exactly where I was.

I was busy upstairs. But now we are all having tea and talking about you, and wishing you were here.

And they imparted all you intended. They did well.

One more thing: I have seen you at your best and at your worst; still you are always welcome near me." - HAFIZ 

...the sounds of morning birds at my window, yoga stretches, cleansing breaths and Hafiz, my beloved Hafiz...

my own evolution

"Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.”
- Deepak Chopra

a revolutionary act

- 2007 mixed media on paper -

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

- George Orwell

telling the truth is a revolutionary act...

telling the truth...

the human experience

- 2013 watercolor on paper -

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin


Every person we come in contact with can be a mirror to various aspects of ourselves.

I don't believe in coincidence.  There is learning in every experience and in every encounter...

We are on this planet to fall in love with ourselves...with our true essence...

We are here to dance, to stretch, to open, to forgive, to love and to learn...

We are here to have the human experience, to FEEL...the pain, the pleasure and the WILD JOY...


from my journals

how deep is your love?

"I know your eyes in the morning sun.  I feel you touch me in the pouring rain, and the moment that you wander far from me, I wanna to feel you in my arms again.

And you come to me on a summer breeze.  Keep me warm in your love and then softly leave.  And it's me you need to show - how deep is your love?...cause we're living in a world of fools, breaking us down when they all should let us be.  We belong to you and me.

I believe in you.  You know the door to my very soul.  You're the light in my deepest, darkest hour.  You're my savior when I fall.  And you may not think I care for you, when you know down inside that I really do..." - The Bee Gees

wisdom of obscurity

- from one of my journals -

"Should you want to contain something,
you must deliberately let it expand.

Should you want to weaken something,
you must deliberately let it grow strong.

Should you want to eliminate something,
you must deliberately allow it to flourish.

Should you want to take something away,
you must deliberately grant it access.

The lesson here is called
the wisdom of obscurity.

The gentle outlasts the strong.

The obscure outlasts the obvious.

Fish cannot leave deep waters, and a country's weapons should not be displayed.

I seek out obscurity by suppressing any desires for attention or recognition."

- Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Dr. Wayne Dyer

el viento del olvido

- mixed media -

"Como a todas las muchachas del mundo,
también a Ella,
tejiéronla
con sus sueños,
los hombres que la amaban.

Y yo la amaba.

Pudo ser para otros un rostro 
que el Viento del Olvido 
borra a cada instante.
Pudo ser,
pero yo la amaba.

Yo veía las cosas más sencillas
volverse misteriosas
cuando Ella las tocaba.
Porque las estrellas de la noche
¡Ella con su mano las sembraba!

Los días de esmeralda,
los pájaros tranquilos,
los rocíos azules,
¡Ella los creaba!

Yo me emocionaba
con sólo verla pisar la hierba.

¡Ah si tus ojos me miraran todavía!

Esta noche no tendría tanta noche.
Esta noche la lluvia caería sin mojarme.

Porque la lluvia no empapa
a los que se pierden 
en el bosque de sus sueños relucientes,
y sus días no terminan
y son sus noches transparentes.

¿Dónde estás ahora?
¿En qué ciudad,
en qué penumbra,
en cuál bosque
te desconocen las luciérnagas?

Tal vez mientras escribo,
estás en un suburbio,
sola, inerme, abandonada...

¡Abandonada, no!

En tu ausencia
mi corazón todas las tardes muere."
- Manuel Scorza (1928-1983)

beach story

- circa 1970s -

The beach holds memories of sand castles and salty smiles. It is where I need to begin telling my story, telling her story...with Father Sun and Mother Moon...

excerpt from my journal

don't bring your lips so close - the kiss in your eyes

- mixed media on paper -

"All or nothing at all
Half a love never appealed to me
If your heart never could yield to me
Then I'd rather have nothing at all

All or nothing at all
If it's love there is no in between
Why begin, then cry
For something that might have been
No, I rather have nothing at all

But please, don't bring your lips so close to my cheek
Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall the kiss in your eyes
The touch of your hand makes me weak
And my heart may grow dizzy and fall

And if I fell under the spell of your call
I would be caught in the undertow
So you see, I've got to say no, no
All or nothing at all..." - Billie Holiday

...if it's love, there is no in between...

Sunday morning with Billie Holiday

whispery sensation pulsating

- do you trust your gut?  I do... -

"Learning to trust your instincts, using your intuitive sense of what's best for you, is paramount for any lasting success. I've trusted the still, small voice of intuition my entire life. And the only time I've made mistakes is when I didn't listen. 

It's really more of a feeling than a voice—a whispery sensation that pulsates just beneath the surface of your being. All animals have it. We're the only creatures that deny and ignore it. 

How many times have you gone against your gut, only to find yourself at odds with the natural flow of things? We all get caught up in the business of doing, and sometimes lose our place in the flow. But the more we can tune in to our intuition, the better off we are. I believe it's how God speaks to us. 

For all the major moves in my life—to Baltimore, to Chicago, to own my show, and to end it—I've trusted my instincts. I take in all the information I can gather. I listen to proposals, ideas, and advice. Then I go with my gut, what my heart feels most strongly. 

And I often tell friends: When you don't know what to do, do nothing. Get quiet so you can hear the still, small voice—your inner GPS guiding you to true North. " - OPRAH