Sunday, December 23, 2007

Saturday, December 8, 2007

"to beauty that sustains" - bell hooks

uncovering beauty again and again.
understanding true happiness.
accepting the pain of joy.
in your own rhythm,
a process takes shape
on a shaky terrain
with balance in the horizon.
making peace with uncertainty
is knowing at least your will
is certain to fuse your intention.

and the power of your word
makes you speechless sometimes.
to know what you believe in
makes you doubt yourself sometimes
when you confront what is unnecessary.
to unravel the roots of your intention.
intend every moment
and watch it come together.

to draw from the highest will
to serve the larger purpose
with out expecting
anything in return
is to give it all you got

right now.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thursday, November 22, 2007

passing moments















tangier, morocco






















lisbon, portugal (bairro alto)




























mama in sevilla, spain

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Saturday, October 27, 2007

contemplation

trust.

cultivate wisely.
reaching for the best fruits.
planting the seed of universal love at the root
of every thought, word, and action
so each moment is an opportunity
to walk on a path of greater purpose.
to create with the creator,
a design worth living for,
worth uncovering,
worth shedding,
worth dissecting
every painful and numbing habit.
this material is not fertile
and we are so much more than we imagined.
all of this
worth letting go a little
to see where the wind carries us.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

where there are no rules
the law of nature
reveals our roles.
we take heed by first
facing what we are not.
humbly, we draw
from trying
and find ourself
with no control
accepting
where we are.



lessons learned:
1. stay away from sheep dogs.

2. so this is what beach dogs are!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Sunday, October 14, 2007

you know you are in the thick of cutty country when the dirt road starts ending in bamboo bushes and raging pitbulls on fish-line leashes that are about to snap or when you have to make an unexpected detour due to a herd of sheep as wide of as the hillside coming straight toward you.

it is then that the message becomes clear.

"we are outnumbered", i said to the pups as we turned around.

yet, among the presence of algarvic menhirs (prehistoric rocks) dating back to 3000 BC, something tells me otherwise. remnants of fertility symbols, serpents, and phallic shapes pointing to the sky tells me something is larger than all of us combined.
















"the mythical mandrake (mandragora autumnalis) flowers in the valley. since ancient times aphrodisiacal powers have been attributed to this plant, because of its anthropomorphic roots. the name of the valley "amantes" - which means "lovers" - probably originated through people's beliefs in the mandrake as a "love potion" and because of the phallic menhirs found there. medieval writings say the plant had painkilling and sleep inducing qualities, and when pulled up, it shrieked. one could be driven mad by this sound." - guide to monte dos amantes

Friday, October 12, 2007

slavery starts here.



















the first slave market in europe.
















lagos, portugal

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

half open

lagos, portugal



i find peace on the cliffs
with fishermen
speaking a tradition
almost essential.

perhaps the ocean was not meant to be touched
so closely in human scale.








the waves encapsulate relentlessly
yet from a distance
it is forgiveness.

something about smiling when you are alone
singing to the sky
laughing because you can't hold it in
when what you find funny
finds you.

something about the sun blanket on my skin
the wind of vastness
blowing into my hair.
reading the alchemist on a beach
cut out of cliffs
where the gods live in
incessant crashes.

the rocks know
the water is more powerful.

a rickety bicycle and
basil and kale cut from the garden
flowers in a franciscan carrafe
cut from the driveway.
burning fields and bamboo fences
everything converted into sound.
what a gift, a decent conversation is
in the core of silence.
the smell of red earth, salty ocean, and fresh laundry from a clothesline.
the language of the earth
and what draws us human-beings here
in each their own awe
withstanding the test of time.

a day well-present between sun rise and sunset.

and they say i deserve this...

believing is a process
and it begins with a dream
that survives the terrain of disbelief.

Monday, October 8, 2007

friends.

so, i'm riding on a trail toward the ocean,
and i come upon a herd of cows eating grass.
their bells are clanging.

all of a sudden, the bells stop, and they're staring at me.

"All the cows are looking at me!", i thought, eyes wide and smiling.

brown cows and white doves
never knew they were friends.

an unmarked tower
to an unmarked sun set
hums the ocean back
a salutation
in bodily vibration
i repeat
in yoga stance.

shiva?

oct. 7

Tuesday, October 2, 2007


praia da luz
A journey begins within. To go the “end of the world”, only to uncover the world within. A man with binoculars looking out his window, a woman picking from someone else’s lemon tree. To wake under a mosquito net, in a garage outlined with bird nests, we are all pushing boundaries that do not need to be drawn. Out of deep dream, within a dream, we are hanging on cliffs, as if to take a leap of faith, to trust another being, to feel free to merge to some degree, share space. We step into unknown territory, and for a moment face uncomfortable translation. Tension is understanding that we are separate beings trying to live together on this earth, and perhaps even beyond..if you believe.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

walking between two good people.

today,
corktrees and portuguese marble,
an olive offering to a dying tree,
a walk in pedralva,
on a peace of land.

tomorrow,
puzi, shiva, and me.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

the algarve.

yesterday,

white walls to clear the pallette.

today,

cows eating grass with bells on their collars.

tonight,

the rain.

Monday, September 24, 2007


chinatown, british columbia

chinatown, british columbia

chinatown, british columbia

chinatown, british columbia

Friday, September 14, 2007

Thursday, September 13, 2007