The Kingdom of God is within You by Leo Tolstoy

I went to a poetry reading open house last week. It was organized Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation's Committee on Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

I heard a poem by a local poet that referenced this book by Tolstoy. It's The Kingdom of God is within You and it has influenced the thinking of many people, including Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr..

Take the Bus

Last Saturday I wrote about writing three poems. Well here's one of them. It's titled, Take the Bus.

Take the Bus

It has been awhile
since I took the bus.
I see the bus all the time,
every day.
I used to take the bus
nearly every day.
It felt good
to ride on the bus.

War Resistance Poetry from a War Resister

War Resistance Poetry from a War Resister
http://www.pricetagsart.org/video3.html

Nature is Essential to Humanity

Autumn Colors

Nature is awesome; it has a way of bringing out the best in people. Natural settings can inspire greatness in feeling and thought...


"One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin" - Shakespeare

At the R. Walter Fey Memorial Grove in Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County, California

Empty Store Fronts, a Poem

While riding around on errands today, I noticed an increasingly common phenomenon: empty store fronts. Small and locally owned, and operated, businesses are being driven out by massive mega-stores (especially cheap discount mega-stores like Wal-Mart, for example.) Local revenue and labor is being lost. Goods are imported from overseas. Large sectors of domestic manufacturing are going extinct, having been outsourced.

So I just wrote up this poem (very quickly - it's a first draft.) It's a reflection on this economic phenomenon of corporate power and the ceonsequential harm it does.

I hope it resonates with you. - bert

Empty Store Fronts

Stores closed down.

I see them.

Empty store fronts,

Peeling facades,

Broken windows.

All the capital,

It's being gobbled up!

By massive corporations.

Wealth conglomerated at tippy top.

Capital and labor markets,

shipped overseas.

(... and p.s. - please don't shop at Wal-Mart, and/or similar mega-stores.)

(p.p.s. see related post at OlyBlog: The Normal Course of Progress?)

[updated 9:54 p.m. 9/25/08]

Let Wisdom Guide Our Lives and Humanity

The following is cross-posted from OlyBlog (i.e. I already published it there and I am re-posting it here):

I want to share some wisdom that was recently shared with me. A friend printed up a couple cards, and the information that they contain really resonates deeply with me. One is some wisdom from Marshall Rosenberg, author of Nonviolent Communication. The other is wisdom from Buddhadasa, a Thai monk.

By the way, there are nonviolent communication courses being offered at locations throughout the Puget Sound region. Northwest Compassionate Communication

Here's the card on Buddhadasa, according to my transcription:

know the heart

know the heart
or essence
of your own
spirituality,
and encourage others
to know theirs.

share with others
at deeper levels,
don't dwell on the
differences,
recognize those things
held in common
and build on that

work together to
"drag humanity out from
under the power of
materialism."

sharings from
buddhadasa

servant of the
buddha

a thai monk

Now for the card based on Marshall Rosenberg's theory of nonviolent communication:

basic

human

needs

marshall roseburg
author
nonviolent communication

"at every moment we have the
power to make life wonderful"

"basic needs are never in conflict,
get past enemy image"

some basic human needs:
sustenance,
protection,
understanding / empathy,
honesty,
celebration,
autonomy,
contribute (meaningfully to life),
power (influence one's space),
fairness,
love,
justice (restorative...)
respect,
belonging / community

"when we interact
on the level of
basic human needs
there is no conflict"

And be sure to watch this video with Marshall Rosenberg:

Beauty Tips from Audrey Hepburn

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone..
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

photo credit UNICEF / John Isaac

Fornax the Troll

When once a young lad

       Whose name was Thad,

Went for a walk in the country



There came a great shout

       And a tremulous cry

For he stumbled upon a monster.



Old Fornax the brute

       A foul-tempered troll

Who was given to travelers's travails



Came upon he with a great

       Wooden stump - a former tree

He did a thump thump thump.



He did proceed to wander

       Into the village proper.

Where he found to his surprise



The central square alight

       With adornment gay, and song and tune -

Chorus and Instrument combined.



Astonished was he,

       though brutish and vile,

He smiled and laid down and cried.