The Romance of Oz

Pendulum swings One step closer to a new height As it fell, a gentle gust Air tickles my hand Right when the pendulum Finds it's own balance All seemed right For a split second...

Write my songs, send my cheers How could one forget? Why the birds chirp,  Why the winter sun sets? Though one and done, I have no regrets I, who turned south Who's heart is out west. Willow birds sing my songs Red Tulips cover my heart Moonlight lights my path White Cranes show my past Oh! Dear crimson wine Tell me my sins Any never done? Any repeats? This abyss of thirst  Blinds my own dreams Under a lone oak tree No shade for me it seems Dear thin mountain air,  Please cool my sweat As I close my eyes I place a final bet When it's all at the end I will have my laugh Family, foe or friend Will have to understand. 

Many heroes came down to the river They watched Zhou Yu's spectacle Some in awe, some in fear Thousand of lives expandable From the burning river cries arose Since then the river never froze Red Cliffs are forever ablaze Testament to the mystery of heaven's ways. 

I gave my birds some millet They sang for me I gave my pen some love But the pen will not write for me

Cold wind slashes open my cheek Air singes, and rattles my bones I make my way back to my tea I write these lines in the comfort of my home Fragrant flavors dance around my nose Thoughts and Images freely roam A bowl of soup for this hungry stomach A kind companion for this soul, alone. 

Day after day, we till the same fields Yearning for a different tomorrow, we eat the same meals Unable to bear the task, we run from our fears Powerless and weak, we hide from mirrors When will we understand there's no use in tears Drowning in self pity, porn and beers All for naught All such pity Even the learned of old knew Within one's will is strength If ignored this ancient echoes All left in hands in wasted years

 Chaos disguised as order, From the 4 seas, to the western border. Students scream freedom, Peasants used as fodder. Jade emperor nudges heaven "They are defying your will" But heaven didn't bother "Today, my will is to make the new emperor pay the bill".

      Friend, I've recently been acquainted with you and somewhat been hearing about your routines. From my limited interaction with you, I can tell that you are a humble man with limited ulterior motives. You simply want a humble life filled with the small joys and the pleasure of fatherhood and being a good husband. Yet, you feel as if your vice blinds you and keeps you in a stranglehold, in which you are a part of a vicious cycle. I am writing this as a way to convince you of your own power as well as the limited power of your fears.      As a rule of thumb, when I face difficulty, fear, terror, pain, anger, etc in life, I immediately stop and take a step back. I take deep breaths and try to compose myself while looking at the big picture and looking for opportunities for a safe counterattack. If you've ever played chess before you'll know that acting on impulse and making a series of quick and thoughtless decisions/actions leads to inevitable disaster. ...

A single drop of water feeds the little honey bee Hungry, cold and wet, he beings his search After wandering into the garden of plum blossoms,  He is full, warm, dry. He also makes friends with a butterfly Warming their wings together, the sunlight caresses their tired bodies Next to the blossoms is a garden of poppies A sea of red touched by a gentle wind The little honey bee bids farewell to his friend He gazes at the sea of purple and red Sky made of turquoise, the ground made of jade Soon daylight will fade The honey bee dances to find a bed Suddenly the butterfly calls out to the bee Him, the butterfly and some honey The sun sets smiling at these three.  

      Although the church played a significant role in the west, and the mosque/islam in Middle East and North Africa, the far east seems to have escaped the overreaching dogma of the "only truth". Why does the individual forego any resemblance of critical thinking when faced with a certain set of beliefs by the moral authority he subscribes to?      When accepting something as the "truth", especially within the metaphysical we close out minds to the endless possibilities. The thought is so engraved in our system that we refuse any constructive argument.The person who tells you to have faith and believe without listing a certain set of realistic basis for it, is an enemy of critical thinking and human scientific/spiritual advancement. Understanding is a human beings natural wish and desire, and wanting to understand is one of the ultimate pillars of human nature. Thus we must try to understand our, and others', faith and belief systems if we want to navigat...

Surely the sun will rise again Warm follows cold My elation brings some faith Twisting thoughts of pain into glory Patience is a true friend Awaiting me with the smile of heaven The silver phoenix sheds the ashes of misery from his coat.

Heroes of young and old, Washed away by the river None will stand alone The wheel will turn and deliver  Another set of heroes Only to be washed away by the river

When I saw the fields I shrieked in fear, I couldn't understand why the end wasn't near It happened so I could be here? Is this a lie or a truth I don't want to hear? Imagine all that was held dear Shattered like a mirror.

Hard outer shell Within found confusion Slowly searching for air Emotions dried numb Looking for meaning in jazz

Another day comes It always does after a storm After a stormy night at the sea The gulls point to the shore Between myself and the sand 1000 unanswered prayers Foams of the water dig out each wish The wind sweeps them over the land The sails tell me to go ashore "I just want to witness not to be a part" "My true love has always been the storm" "I know beauty always awaits on the other side of it" Back to another storm I go.

Even on this day, My pen slowly sings to me A soft, quick love song.

Thousand copies of the moon, By the silky water surface. By this pen and paper, I have found my life's purpose. 

Greetings my friend,     Recently, I've observed a phenomena that has been particularly bothering me. In our western society toxic-positivity has been promoted, and become the semi-norm. From motivational speakers preaching about "no-negativity", to doctors prescribing anti-depressants to the smallest of negative thought, to marijuana being more and more accepted by people who don't need it's medicinal properties, our obsession with happiness as infiltrated almost every layer of society.      So, you may ask, what's the harm in it? What's wrong with being positive? Well, of course nothing. It's simply emotions or a state of mind. However, like anything in life, excess of it is detrimental to the individual and to society. Too much drinking leads to liver disease, too much smoking leads to lung issues, too much food causes stomach pain, too much oxygen causes oxygen sickness, too much sadness causes depression. This is not any different with positivity....

I looked up to what I thought couldn't exist I realized the eye looking at me. Single eye, Wide, White, And black in center. Colors I didn't know existed Emotions I've never felt before Just the eye and I Staring down at me, I'm looking down as well. Suddenly, millions of eyes  I'm at the center, alone Another step closer to freedom.

Shakespeare once said "All the world's a stage" I gloomily search for mine Hours and days and years I've pondered I wished to retreat with tears in my eyes When I finally found it, the years had left me by Now I must try again in search of another one Then another and one more until I die.