WHITNEY HOUSTON: her unsung song

If there are angels in our lives
We can be certain of one thing.
They have a school of music where
Ms. Whitney Houston learned to sing.
Her voice would open heaven's door
From where we'd hear the angels cheer.
Before she reached her song's last note
We felt that God had shed a tear.
11/2/2012
Ms. Houston sang her final song.
In echos of her actions though
We saw her words to "They Were Wrong".

"I climbed the peak of my career
Where I'd find fullness in success;
But when I made it to the top
I found there, only emptiness.
'They' said that I should trust the Lord
And all my cares he would relieve.
I tried with all my heart but found
'Their' promises were make believe.
Then I was told that love and sex
Would fill the emptiness inside.
At first I thought 'they' might be right.
I knew at last that 'they' had lied.
When all else failed 'they' tried to fill
The void within with drugs and booze
Although I knew it was a fight
For life that I'd most likely lose.

I lost but I did not give up.
I had begun to see the light.
It's just that time ran out and I
Could not replace the 'wrong' with 'right'.
I saw the void cannot be filled
Regardless of the way we try.
It's central to our life because
We cannot answer, "Why am I?"
All we can do is reach out to
The bounds of our capacity,
To others and to God as well,
Becoming what we're meant to be.
If I could do it all again
I'd sing with angels every day.
I'd do my best to make God smile.
There isn't any other way."

SARAH BURKE: her perfect run.

On 1/19/2012
She rode her pipe one final time.
Her training run came to an end
Without a reason or a rhyme.
For Rory and her family
Her loss they will forever feel;
But it might help that Sarah was
The girl with skis who made life real.

"A pioneer", she reached out to
The bounds of her capacity.
Like no one else her flips and twists
Defied the laws of gravity.
The pipe was where she felt alive.
In it she learned to use her wings.
Each time she took us on her flights
She taught us how our spirit sings.

As we remember Sarah Burke,
Recall her "Why not?" attitude,
Her sparkling eyes, her lovely smile,
For life, her constant gratitude.
If thoughts of her still make us sad
And we can't help but wonder why,
We could think she was called by God
To teach the angels how to fly.

SARAH BURKE 1982-2012

WALL STREET PROTESTS: a collective "Why am I?"

Wisconsin was the state wherein
Humanity was re-conceived.
They had no vision of it then
But change was needed they believed.

It came to Wall Street to be born.
Let's hope it's here that we can see
The changes needed to ensure
We feed reborn humanity.

We have to see the common good
And rise above Democracy,
A system which persists because
Our dominant concern is "me".

The vertical economy
We can't continue to applaud.
A horizontal one we need
To be our servant, not our god.

Religions and philosophies
We think give meaning to our life,
We must discard to see the view
That frees us from ongoing strife.

All hits to our environment
We simply must bring to an end.
Unless we quit assaulting her
A final message she'll soon send.

The calls for changes aren't diverse.
They have their source in one appeal
To make the common life we live
The consequence of "the ideal".

For years change has been side to side.
We must begin to move ahead.
If we don't make these changes, then
The end of Wall Street will be dead.

DALAI LAMA, POPE et al.

When I attack don't think that I
Can't see what is profound.
Instead think that it's probable
You're not on solid ground.

To claim you're the enlightened ones
Is fantasy at best.
When you're with reason scrutinized
You fail to pass the test.

Your obfuscation numbs the mind.
Your claims of health are tall.
You're selling 'patent medicine'
Without the alcohol. 

I cannot overstate my fear
That since you are so full,
You are a danger to our health
By spreading sacred bull.

Our spirit is our 'light' to which
Not one of you can lead.
It is within, we generate
The power that we need

By reaching to the limits of
Innate capacity,
To others and to God as well.
From you we should be free.

BIN LADEN and HUMANITY

Bin Laden was a horrid man;
And on this fact few disagree,
By killing fellow humans he
Diminished his humanity.

More than 3000 killed that day;
Since 9/11, thousands more
In our belief that we must try
To always even up the score.

Bin Laden's dead. It's said we "won";
But victory incurred a cost.
Despite his crimes, by killing him
Still more humanity was lost.