The edge of the universe

Come out with me
Here, to the edge of the universe
There will be dancing

Past arbitrary dates of birth which determine
Not only who is to be respected and who is to be friend,
But also, supposedly, our destiny.

Beyond religions which tell us
That when we dance, we should not do this thing or that
Lest we offend a distant and angry god.

Past male and female and evolutionary psychology
That tells us we are wired active or passive
To dance or to sit; or to face the consequences.

Beyond village and city
Beyond nation and nation, and beyond the leaders
Who tell us who to hate in order to be good.

Past ideas of status and prestige
Who has 'made it' and who never will
And the illusions that make us believe it as truth.

Come out here
To the edge of the universe
There will be dancing and embraces
And endless showers of gratitude
And love

Is the evening enough

Is the evening enough?
The dimming light, the last fragrance
Of the day's blooms
The golden hour, the lingering warmth
Will this suffice
When it is time for wonder
Time for wit and frisson
When it is time for letting the music in
And revelry runs in every vein

I have cultivated my mind
What grows there is only what I have planted
But this night-blooming flower --
I don't remember which seed it sprung from
It just grows
Is the evening enough?
If left to the whims of the evening
Will the fragrance remain the same?

On the threshold of summer
Wildflowers abound
No hand to care, only rain, sun
And evening respite

On the threshold the most fragrant and poisonous petals
Stretch toward the sun's last rays
Grandmother's words ring true;
Enjoy the fragrance, but let the taste alone

Is the evening enough?
Or does beauty spill over
Outside the bounds of time
Turning night into endless evening
From which we can never return?

Are you sleeping

Are you sleeping
Please be sleeping
Night is halfway through
I can do what need be done
I have enough tears for two

Can you hear me
Can you feel me
On second thought, never mind
I don't want to wake you up
I'll wait for another time

I don't even know why I'm awake
What my eyes are crying for
I had just forgotten what day it was
And couldn't take it anymore
So don't worry about me, don't wake up
Keep dreaming, keep dreaming

If you're sleeping
What do you see
Is it a dream you remember
Or one you want to remember
Or who you want to be

Is it regret for a girl who has left
Or the memory of one who has stayed
Is it the threads of the web that we weave
The decisions that we all have made
Do you dream of the world, how from nothing it came
And the wonder that it has become
Of the songs that we sang out of love and of pain
And the one that will never be sung

Are you sleeping
Please be sleeping
Night is halfway through
I can write while you take your needed rest
I have enough words for two

(Oct. 31, 2011)

In the city of the future

In a dream I saw you there in the city of the future
You had a day to leave so I helped you gather up your things
We didn't know why but they said you had to go; we couldn't question
You didn't look back when you said goodbye to me

It's as it should be
Don't overthink it, no, you've got to move on
Time keeps passing and so just go your way
It is what it is, so what can we do
We've always gotta move to something new
So just go your way

And when it's my time will I follow your way without a question
Or will I hold on with all the strength I have in me
I won't know until I'm there, but I hope I'd be the strong one
To keep moving without breaking

I've fought destiny
And I've seen that it leaves nothing left of me
Just let go
When it's all out of control

It's as it should be
Don't overthink it, no, you've got to move on
Time keeps passing and so just go your way
It is what it is, so what can we do
We've always gotta move to something new
So just go your way

(This was based on a dream I had that I wrote here: http://dreamingatmidnight.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-city-of-future.html)

Sublime

Tonight, you shone gold and brilliance all down the eastern seaboard.
This is a far cry from what I remember
As you stood in front of me, daring me, erasing the past
And replacing the old songs with a four-to-the-floor beat and a smile
Illuminating New York City at midnight
As memories of California fade into the darkness.

Tonight, I returned in my mind
To the night I was singing a song of springtime,
And saw you standing there. Back, to the right
I beckoned you to come up front,
Sit there, listen, hear, experience, live
And yet you were still small sullen
But tonight
When I called you to the front
You came and sang and experienced and lived and springtime bloomed again
No one's heart was hurting
No pain washed away with the soap from the dishes
I think back on then
And how that moment shaped my mind's construction of you
Saw in your name still, small, sullen

But tonight your name takes on an entire new meaning.

Tonight it wasn't in my mind, no;
It was in front of me the whole time
The joy, the sublime exuberance --
Words cannot express this
It is the state I live in
How surprising to find another native!
And as I saw life itself spring into motion
I myself hung back and became still, small, silent
Taking in the energy that usually I express

Maybe we are not one-dimensional
Maybe we need to give and take
To be angry and to be joyful
To gain a deeper understanding
To see the shades of life from bright to dark

I keep learning...

Oceans are brutal creatures of passive aggression

A blue-green luminescence emerges
From the Gulf, the sum product of
Gravity, surface tension and phosphorus.
The beauty, though scientifically explainable,
Is otherworldly. If it were not for the cold,
I could watch these waves forever.
And watch I ought to, as this gulf's waves
Will crash on the shore, leaving dampness on rocks
Then evaporate, condense and rain down
Into the same ocean which presently separates us -
Co-conspirators in the delay of our meeting.
Some might say that the journey was necessary,
Or ultimately my decision, that the oceans are blameless
But I don't believe them, for I could leave it all tonight
Board an ocean liner headed west
And return to you - but the journey would still take weeks
The vastness of the waters keeps your arms from mine
But we will overcome this distance
Day by day a little closer
And my heart is filled with ocean water tears
And the fire of love
Which keep part of you with me no matter
How many oceans stand in our way
So they won't win; although they are strong,
We are stronger; and the love that binds us together
Is my ocean liner to your shore.

Life Soundtrack: Javeda Zindagi

This is the first song I thought of for this series, really. And yet it's taken me this long to write about it. That's because I don't know exactly what to write. This song echoes in the deepest part of me, it has a resonance that I don't even have words for.

I fell asleep to this song almost every night for six months of my life. Six months that, looking back, were the shining pinnacle of my life, despite myself. Every day was a fight. But every day was a small victory. I cannot believe that I lived with so much energy and so little fear. And every night.. some morning-nights... I slowed down. My heartbeat, brain waves, slowed to the steady beat of the tabla and I drifted off into any one of a million parallel universes, to wake up hours later ready for the next brilliant moment.

This is quite possibly my favorite song of all time.

Here are lyrics and a translation.. I found the translation online and improved it some, in a non-literal sort of way :)

tose naina laage piya saaware
nahi bas mein ab yeh jiya saaware
mohabbat to ek javeda zindagi hai

Your eyes met mine, my love
This heart has gone wild, my love
Love... is eternal life

tose naina laage mili roshni
tose man jo laaga mili zindagi
mohabbat to ek javeda zindagi hai

When your eyes met mine, I finally saw
When your soul met mine, I finally lived
Love... is eternal life

mohabbat ki hai daastaan zindagi
mohabbat na ho to kahaan zindagi
mohabbat to hai javeda zindagi hai

The story of love is life
Without love, there is no life
Love... is eternal life

shamaa ko pighalne ka armaan kyun hai
patange ko jalne ka armaan kyun hai
issi shauq ka intehaan zindagi hai

Why does the lamp desire to burn ?
Why does the moth desire to burn in its flame ?
Life... is this sort of desire for infinite love

mohabbat jise baksh de zindagani
nahin maut par khatm uski kahani

Whososever is given life through love
Gains immortality...

kaise jiya jaaye ... ishq bin?
How can life go on without love?

nahin koi insaan mohabbat se khaali
har ek ruh pyaasi, har ek dil sawaali

No one is devoid of love
Every spirit is thirsty, every heart is searching

mohabbat jahaan wahaan zindagi hai
mohabbat na ho to kahaan zindagi hai

Where there is love, there is life

Without love, where then could there be life?