Constantly reaching out and connecting,

Constantly being interested and be interesting,

Constantly seeking knowledge and learning,

Constantly improving and impacting,

Constantly moving and touching,

Constantly expressing optimism and hoping,

Constantly forgiving and understanding,

Constantly extending kindness and giving,

Constantly loving and caring. . .

And though your name isn’t in the dictionary,

You know,

You’re sure,

You’re living

Meaningfully.

Doves flocked at the food court during lunch;

Some walked back and forth,

Some gone in circles—

All in search of grains or crumbs.

A little beyond noon, crowd came;

Some with plates and drink ready to sit down,

Some were browsing still walking around—

All ready for the munch.

More doves came by;

Some walking in between benches and tables,

Some in standby by trash cans and bins

All in search of grains or crumbs—not a chance.

Out of nowhere a lady guard asked angrily,

“Who fed the doves?” No one answered.

“Who fed the doves?” She asked again.

So I answered, “God did. God fed the doves.”

Of our drives,

Of our wants,

Of our needs,

Of our urges,

Of our instincts,

Of our egos,

It’s when we freed ourselves

Of these—

And separate our minds from our bodies—

We can definitively say,

“I’m not living in vain;

And I’m the master

Of my destiny.”

Then vanity becomes history.

It’s not one or the other;

Neither one is lesser than the other.

Truth is often harsh and blunt;

So brace it with either eyes closed or open.

Consequences are like breakfast eggs:

Done the way you want ‘em.

Is that why

We are burning fossil fuels

Like never before?

The thought of unremembering our only home,

This planet,

Is beyond incomprehensible.

We cut trees,

Which makes wildfires wilder,

The corals paler and bleached,

A nation sinking in the Pacific,

And at the Antarctic,

Penguins would soon be homeless—

What a tragedy!

We can’t just unremember Earth,

And leave the future of our children

To oblivion.