Beyond the world of discovery that music has been for me, there was always the bigger world, the universe of questions about what we’re a part of, how it works, and how to best fit into the larger whole.

My love of words, a fascination with scientific, philosophical, and spiritual inquiry, and a quiet determination to learn how to be a better human (and a happier man) have led me on a path of shaping my experience, breath by breath, into poems.

Here are some of them.

Suffering and Peace

October 6, 2013

All our stories of suffering
grow like pearls around our pain.

Inside each one
is a moment denied,
encysted in the past.

If, in the light of seeing,
the pearl dissolves,
a grain of being is released,
a moment once frozen in time.

Beyond that moment,
there is peace.

The Greatest Gifts

October 5, 2013

The greatest gifts
Are not received,
They are discovered,

Look up from your thoughts,
With an open heart,
And let them in.

Without Need

October 4, 2013

Without need,
each shared moment is a gift.

Without expectations,
Every step is a joyous discovery.

The gifts we give
live in each of us,
wherever we go.

A Reflection

October 3, 2013

Human beings are,
for the most part,
unreliable.

Pinning one’s hopes
on the actions of another
is almost always a mistake.

The one relationship
we can and must rely on
is with ourself.

All the nurturing
and guidance
we really need
is within.

What we see in others
is simply a mirror
of what is in ourselves.

Success

September 29, 2013

Sometimes,
success comes through action;
other times,
through allowing.

Do what you can,
and be open to the rest.

Let go!

September 24, 2013

Let go of wanting -
open to emptiness.

Let go of emptiness -
open to everything.

Purest love

September 22, 2013

The purest love
is like fresh air to the heart.

Breathing in,
it nurtures and enlivens,
but it cannot be held.

What if…?

September 19, 2013

What if everything we do
is just an experiment,
a playful exercise?

Then there are no failures,
only new experiences,
and learning.

A New York Night

September 19, 2013

Night sky,
Points of light,
Skyline.
If I did not know what each thing was,
Would it not be magic?
For a moment,
I let go of knowledge,
And let the magic in.

My Four Agreements (with gratitude to Don Miguel Ruiz)

September 16, 2013

In each moment,
In my thoughts and my words,
I am expressing myself
With compassion and integrity.

In each moment,
I am accepting that every person
Is simply expressing their own reality,
And I will not take anything personally.

In each moment,
I am letting go of my assumptions,
And seeing the world with new eyes.

In each moment,
I acknowledge that I’m
Doing the best I can,
Warts and all.

In each moment,
I am stepping
Into a new dream.