Light on Her Face

In an empty room
A half-naked kid leans
On a shattered wall
Riddled by shells and bullets
Darkness over her frail body
Subtle lightning on her face
Mother, father, sister and brother
Lie lifeless on the floor
Their white clothes colored in blood

Where’s the light
Within this heartless scheme
What’s this light
Where is the promise of salvation

Her painful tears
Shake off the worst her eyes have seen
The quiet sounds of Peace,
A distant Cry of her Dream
Her hands consoles
Her patched lips,
Reminding her belly not to wait for food
For Cornmeal days are over
Gone with the sounds of Hawks
She knows her day is near
But she dives through the crumbling windowpane
To seek the source of light shining on her face

Where’s the light
Within this heartless scheme
What’s this light
Where is the promise of salvation

Kindness of a Stranger

There are times when having enough one dollar bills in hand is worth more than the fifty dollar bill in your wallet.

Yep that happened to me on Sunday Aug.26.07. I woke up that morming- very early, unusually early (6AM), got ready so as to catch the trirail from West Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale-FL. I got to the ticket place hoping to see a human being selling tickets, instead I found a machine (I had forgotten I was in the U.S.A-hahahaha). I looked into my wallet, there was two dollars and one fifty dollar bill. At that moment the fifty dollar bill was useless since the machine does not accept anything above twenty.

The cost of my fare? four dollars. I looked around, asking the nearest guy behind me if he coud lend me two dollars, he had nothing, just his fare amount. Looking desperate, another guy who had overheard me asking for two dollars, came up and gave me two dollars, saying I should not worry about it.

Yep!!! I got my ticket and walked to the platform to wait for the train. I was moved by his kindness that I thought he deserved something. Since I had with me my drum and music CD's, I gave him one and thanked him enormously. We stroke a short conversation, just before the train made its arrival.

I hopped in and sat thinking to myself, what a way to start a Sunday morning.

In the Middle of the Lake

He was at the middle of the lake loafing over the gentle waves in a kayak he had paddled all the way. The breeze tingling his tightly curled hair, that has been begging the visit of a comb since the official announcement of the hurricane season.

An island forty five hard-stroke paddles away, flourishes in trees and shrubs of a tropical caliber he has no clue what they are. Pines maybe? The spread of a golf course, bike paths and well intentioned green lawns that make up the park, contrast the water, posing as a fantastic backdrop of an ideal picture for someone in a kayak in the middle of a lake.

The sun was up, generously delivering its heat, to swell up the body temperature, that generates perspiration at a rate known only to those who are blessed by Florida sunshine and cooled by its humidity.

A lovely bird in dark green and a blue beak drank joyously at the bank of the lake, carefree and anchored on a branch. Water lovers in paddle boats,relaxing and conversing.

From a distance, the lovely couple Vahid and May synchronize their paddles and chart their course along, making their away around the island.

He follows their move to circulate the island the second time. With over thirty minutes under his belt, it was time for some soccer in the park. He paddled to the shore.

With green grass and a lively soccer mate (Vahid), he played for a while, took a break, drank some water and continued playing goaly and kicker in turns with a youth (introduced as Alex) in red shirt and jeans who knows his way on the soccer field. Flanked by a family having BBQ at the park, and a fire rescue team in training, there was a lot more to see and hear, but soccer was all that his was into.

He heard the call, "Time to go, Lets go." He waved goodbye to his soccer mate and rushed to the car, sweat cooling off like drippings of water from a cold bottle left on a counter.

At home he took a long shower, thought about the tasty Pei Wei sweet and sour chicken waiting for him, he murmured under his breath, "What a good day. I feel so vivified, refreshed and off course got a good workout."

And that is the story of how I spent today with May and Vahid at the Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach Florida.

I'll Give My Life for You

I will give my life for You
I will do whatever it takes to be with You
There is something about You that keeps me on my feet
The calm and drive You bring to my life is Imense
You inspire me into Action, provide cautious advice,
treat me with kindness and shelter me in Love.
The things you do; how you do them is beyond belief
You never cease to Tickle my Imagination,
The strength that exudes from your Charming personality
is gentle, yet Penetrating,
the Power it provides nourishes
and the exuberance it Generates,refreshes.
Words are incapable to clearly define how much you mean to me
Thankfulness and Grace are remote
descriptions of the depth of Adoration I feel towards you
May we continue to leap from strength to Strength
heaven to Heaven and
From bliss to Bliss

Service the Way to Go

Whao!!! It's been a while since I penned a few words. I am back from a summer and travel hiatus and hopefully by the will of Grace and Blessings I'll be writing more often.

Let me get to the point. What do you think about Service?

I am sure there are myriad of thoughts going through your mind and many ways of responding to the question. All what you are thinking is true and exact.
After spending the last two years on the road, playing music, giving presentations and engaging in many other Fun and Artistic endeavours, I have come to the realization that Service is the best way to go.

Imagine a world where everyone is in Service to everyone. And when I talk about Service I mean that Human Virtue (Spiritual Quality) of giving to others and making a difference in their lives, making the world a better place. That attitude of looking for ways to be of help, working with a spirit of joy and enthusiasm, of doing your very best, contributing to the advancement of the world; be it in small or big ways.

Imagine a world, where people get up in the morning and their thoughts are fixed on making the world of their neighbor a better one (and in this age of superfast internet connection, that neighbor can be anywhere in the world).

Just imagine the joy and excitement it will generate when people consider their jobs,professions and other means of livelyhood as a channel of Service to Humanity rather than a duty, a source of income.

This might sound like am a preacher on a pulpit. I am saying this because I've experienced that kind of environment. It was four years ago in Haifa-Isreal, where I did Voluntary Religious service at the Bahai World Center. You might say that is ancient history, what about Now?

I just came back from a Youth Summer Service Project known as Project Badi in Florida. Three weeks of learning and practicing to be of Service to Humanity through conducting Classes for Children, guiding a Youth Empowerment program, sharing prayers with people, giving presentations on the Healing Message of the Oneness of Humanity by Baha'u'llah, was an experience of tremendous Joy and Enrichment, reminiscent of the experience of service I had four years ago.

The Laughter, the Courage, the Dedication and Enthusiam of the youth participants was trully a sight of cherished memories.

How then can we replicate such experiences so that it becomes a common experience not only for a select few, but for all of Humanity? That is the question I leave you to ponder on. That is my Quest,and I pray and sincerely hope we can make the World a better place in the ways we Dreamed of, guided by the principle that We are Members of One Human Family.

"Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch."
"The Earth is but One country and Mankind its Citizens."
-Baha'u'llah.

Wishing you a Joyous Day.