My genetics more homogenous.........

My genetics more homogenous than my internal realities.
My experiences, varying cultures.
It's a push pull.
Fighting for supremacy.
Who's in the lead?
Which paradigms do I acquiesce to?
Which is right?
Which is wrong?
Which drives me.
& on what days?

Back living in the land of my ancestors.
Could not be more foreign to me.
I'm not at home.
Even though, if I remain silent.
Seem to fit in.
A stranger, looking like a familiar friend

The four trees in Taiwan

As the day became night.
I saw four trees.
And thought of you and me.
And religious conservatives and my mother.

On the left, the tree grew at a slant.
Then bending 60°.
Grew another slant in a different direction.
Barely keeping its weight.
Barely keeping its center of gravity.

I saw that tree and thought of me.

In the Middle.
A tree grows perfectly tall and straight.
With branches extending in every direction.
Full and lush leaves.
Standing firm.
In open embrace of the sky.
In open embrace of life.
Too Full to be narrow.
Open in every way.
Abundant, balanced, perfect symmetry.

I saw this tree and  thought of you.
How perfectly perfect you were.
How open to life, and yourself and others.
How abundant in charm, talent, and joy and sense of self.

The next tree, look like it was falling.
At a severe bent.
Unstable.
The weight of its branches and leaves unbearable.
It's trunk twisted and writhing.
Choking itself in turmoil.

I saw this tree and thought of my mother.

The last set of trees, looked exactly the same.
They were tall and straight and smooth.
Without long branches.
Only little ones, on the very top.
Like little tufts of hair, with palm size leaves growing at its ends.

I saw this very last tree – and thought of "perfect religious institutions"

          Where everything is either black or white
          Where dogma triumphs over compassion and acceptance
          Where conformism is treasured and viciously protected
          Where individualism can be seen as a threat ...

          It's institutions.....

All very straightlaced, very proper and very uniformed.
No outward flaws.
No openness, or extension to the world.
Set in its ways.
It's perfection seem to be missing something.
It's bare.

Revolving Doors We're all just passing through in this life we enter we exit in and out of each other's lives in my insular world some go through revolving doors more than others entering and leaving different places different worlds saying hello and goodbyes many times over Dear friend are you here to stay a bit? Or are you just briefly passing through my life my world or just the world in general Either Way We all go through revolving doors of different places, directions, changes of heart & changes of circumstances that lead to either intersecting or non-intersecting paths Every Heartbeat Every Second is changing is dynamic Impermanence is only surety beauty, sadness, hope, triumph and failure can be found in this place Saying hello and goodbyes many times over One thing is for sure everyone must enter and exit this worldly world From Birth To Death through the gates of the great unknown The Ultimate Revolving Door in the meantime we're going through a different more mundane more explanatory more tangible Revolving Door Strangers become friends Friends become strangers all we know for sure is the present past irrelevant future unknown

Insomnia

When the worlds asleep, the sky dark, the stillness all encompassing
the mind awake in contemplation
with nowhere to go, nobody to be
but in thoughtful ease to freely wander and to just exist in serenity.

Odes to Taiwan!

Currently, I inhabit a place.
Where deep blue night skies are starless.
Mosquitoes aboundless
where the heat is finally tolerable.
Where poor overly dressed dogs.
May find some relief.

Children run and play.
Men smoke everywhere.
The old ones like to croak and spit phlegm.
I even saw one spit phlegm indoors.

I don't understand their hygiene.

Doesn't help that  I have not lived in a city before.

Let alone a foreign one.

- - - - -

I live in a box that naturally self heats.
I sweat excessively.
My skin protests, manifesting unattractive red bumps.

I miss moderate California weather.

- - - -

Scantily clad Nokia girl.
Did you steal or borrow the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders outfit.
Your enthusiasm is bewildering to me.
Are you under the influence.
Of incentives or drugs?

Anyways, thanks for the pen and tissue paper gifts.
Go Nokia!

Taiwan FB Mosquito super short poem post!

I am the unfortunate magnet
To these unwelcomed visitors
I am The breakfast, lunch and dinner to mosquitos!

Potent Pee

How unfortunate

To make a discovery

Of potent pee

Wondering why this happened to me

is a mystery!