End of Act 1

He studied acting in London,

and each day he plays his part;

a victim of bad advice, bad economy, 

a bad start.

On his desk, all is left, 

is a pen and a gun

he feels like is closing credits,

when it's the end of Act 1.

I'll come this way again

I see the victims
of promised futures
on the wayside like car crashes
but I press on.

To say I press on for them only
is a half truth.
To say I couldn't fix their future anyway
is a whole one.
So I press on for me,
for someone must.

I'll come this way again
I'll come this way again.

East and West

I straddle two worlds.

While one half stumbles

to find its feet,

I wine and dine,

with the world's elite.

"Walk with Kings, but don't lose the common touch" 

~ Rudyard Kipling (para)

Special

When we were told as kids that

we were special,

it wasn't true.

But it was a prophecy, a promise.

To make someone of yourself,

someone truly special.

Mid-dream

Have you ever woken up

in the middle of an amazing dream

and though you try to resume the dream

you'll never know how it should end.

You can only live your dreams

if you wake up,

though you'll have to figure out

exactly how they end.

Grandparents

Two tall trees stood

At the bottom of their garden

ever since they lived there.

One fell the week he died.

I stood over the stump,

having once sheltered there.

Same lessons, different classrooms

I'm looking around

this Manhattan penthouse party

just as clueless

as when I delivered the village papers for pennies.

I know I won't know much

until I know myself.

Tailored

Weddings, Funerals,

Business, as usual,

the mood

in the hue

of the suit.

I expand to fill

its broad shoulders,
and still

there's room to spare.

Catch-ups never caught

I've had birthdays, and bad days,

new movies, old festivities

and you

are living your life,

somewhere.

I've had friends, girlfriends,

new trends, old events,

and you

are living your life,

somewhere.

I've had plane tickets, and train tickets

Head aches and alcohol nights

while you

live your life,

somewhere.

Life Well Spent

What is a noble life?

Art may bring pleasure

and not affect our daily lives.

Business may affect our daily lives,

and not the lives of the next generation.

Academia may change the next generation,

and miss touching the hearts of the living.

Service may touch the hearts of the living,

and miss the hearts of the deserving poor

Charity may help the deserving poor,

and not improve their society.

Politics may change society

and not change the soul.

What is a noble life?

Maybe it is appreciation

by many or few 

of the impact you've made,

great or small, 

whether they know it or not.

or maybe you decide.

Connection and Expression

Some find in religion

what others find in art:

a mode of self-expression

that helps us to feel

less alone.

Revel in the being

Above all the doing,

revel in being;

do it as if it
were the only doing,
you know you were created

to do.

Channel

There are no resistant people,

there are only inflexible communicators

we able to contribute and channel

where we would normally oppose.

If only I'd had...

Saying 

"If only I'd had..."

Will rob you of

the best things 

you could have.

Doubt

Doubt yourself

and when you are done,

doubt that you

have done so.

So that afterwards

you can begin

to fully 

trust yourself.

"The whole problem with the world 

is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, 

and wiser people so full of doubts."

~ Bertrand Russell

Routine

This will be a year

to lose my fear

of routine.

For what it lacks

in drama and fire, 

it overwhelmingly

compensates for

in consistent, nourishing,

compounded

progress.

Hanging

What is, and what could have been

once hung precariously in the balance.

Carried by undecided breezes

jostled in incalculable ways

all of us.

in the air.

hanging.

But we all land eventually,

in familiar territory or not.

Progress

Don't just change,

progress

Climb

He'd climb without fear

because he did not know it.

How can we un-know fear?

Maybe we can't,

but we needn't un-know zeal

as well.

Be Yourself?

Don't be yourself.

Not as you are now

Why not?

You can be better

Be the best version of yourself.

Always be graceful towards yourself

Don't lose your idiosyncrasies!

but never make excuses

for your advertent

or inadvertent decisions.

An Author's Mirror

Is he that same man

that wrote those words

that battle cry

all those years ago?

Was he ever?

Has he championed the life

of passion, integrity and vision

that he called once called for?

Has he become satiated?

Dear Future

I'm pressing on without you

until we meet.

You and Them

Do you see the world as full of 

confident, outgoing people, 

or full of shy, private people?

Does that say anything

about you?

I Can Change The Future

Dream as big as you can,

hold that dream in your mind, now,

dream a million more!

There are no rules,

only convention.

Become a Sponge

This is your chance,

to learn what you can

and change what you can about yourself.

Because soon it will be time to act,

and the time for learning and changing

will have passed.

Speed Up

I'm going to be sprinting through life,

because there is no distance limit

only a time limit.

Get Uncomfortable

Unmotivated?

Find a way to become

uncomfortable,

Nothing spurs into action

like absolute necessity.

Flourish

For him, for her, for whoever

become a blessing to others,

become an attraction to others,

become a beacon to others,

by ensuring that you flourish

physically, socially, emotionally

spiritually, professionally, creatively.

It can be done, I've seen it

Never underestimate your own

creativity, ingenuity and ability

when it comes to completely

changing your own life and the

path of the whole world.

Warm Heart

Encouraging others

encourages us

too.

So there is no excuse
not to bathe the world
in due praise, that we
might be a greater
blessing to it.

I will speak ill of no one
and speak only good
of everyone I know.

Keep Moving Forward

You've not said your 

last goodbye yet mate.

So don't let this one

dampen the spirit

she loved you for.

The Questioner

I shouted into the abyss

I heard only what I felt.

This Great Unknown

How do you know if

you're doing life

right?

I think you know

the same way a painter

knows he's painting right.

You enjoy it,

you learn from it

you create it.

Tokyo

She is a beautiful city who is

comfortable with herself.

A proper lady, she is polite

and willing to serve with all her heart.

In shyness, she keeps to herself

while she longs for a connection,

but connection is seldom found. 

So she has built faster transportation

and quicker networks, keeping people 

moving, but not always closer.

Diligent and hard-working 

she silently works without complaining

but her bright lights and clanging jingles

testify small attempts at 'kicking back'.

Conscientious and prudent,

she respects the values of her elders

but she does not let that stop her

from experimenting with the new.

This is a beautiful city who is

comfortable with herself.

A proper lady, she is polite,

and though she can smile,

maybe one day,

she'll remember

how to laugh.

New Me

I will endeavor to build 

a new,

better,

me.

The Decision is Made

We grew up believing

that where we were,

wasn't where we were going to be.

So where you start out

almost doesn't matter.

One day at a time,

determination will see me through,

the decision is made,

now it's time to sit back and wait for everyone else to see it.

The Fingerprints of Greatness

Passion.

Discipline.

Vision.

Movies

We sometimes feel

that moments in our lives

resemble our favourite moments

in movies.

I think because we have a story

to tell. We have a direction,

things aren't all random.

We are utterances

on the tip of the tongue

of destiny.

Starting out

I'm going to lay this brick

as perfectly as a brick

can be layed.

Every

single

day.

Service Above Self

I sought my God,

but my God eluded me.

I sought my soul,

but my soul I could not see.

I sought to serve my brother

and in that, I found

all three.

My God, My Soul

and thee.

~Unknown

Witness

The inherent beauty in any moment

lies in the miracle that

you breathe.

you exist.

you were a witness to this life.

"Life isn't fair.

It's just fairer than death" 

~ William Goldman

Past

Some memories are so beautiful,

That's what makes them sad.

Each Other

We are all lost

in the unknown.

We are closest to being found
when we find
each other.

Human After All

Feelings occur

regardless of

legitimacy.

Worth

Don't derive your self-worth

from the size of your bank balance,

or your position of authority,

or even your skills and abilities.

Self-worth is from God.

You feel it through the impact

you make on the world,

the lives of those around you.

Emotional Rational

The heart and the brain

must share one body,

one tongue as means

of their self expression.

When interacting with

these symbiotic beings

it's a good idea to find

out which is talking.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with 

creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” ~ Dale Carnegie

I Finally Realised...

...and all I need do,

was shed my ego.

"Humility isn'tthinking less of yourself,

it's thinking of yourself, less." - C.S.Lewis

Lessons in Love

Don't try to hurt somebody on purpose

just because they hurt you on accident.

Desire

Desire can be

a crueler master

than fear.

Mattering

You matter

more, the more

things matter

to you.