Why is listening

with the heart so much harder

than simply hearing with ears?

~

When the heart listens

inner chatter stops, but that’s

not so when we hear with ears.

Why do so many

speak of the Golden Rule, but

fail to follow it?

~

Having been witness

to callous indifference, some

take the gold and break the rule.

If a selfless act

is its own reward, then why

do actors seek broad acclaim?

~

Sometimes acclaim comes

unsought. See those two young men

who intervened at Stanford. 

Couldn’t they think of

something better to do than

make hay while the sun still shines?

~

Thinking is often

replaced by a stormy rage

after the haymakers fly.

Or perhaps, for pain,

should we prepare the scalpel

and risk a dark excision?

~

Much light is needed

for any decision to

make an excision.

When our days are marred

by aches and pains how do we

go about cleaning the slate?

~

Bend our aching knees,

pour on throbbing elbow grease,

and prepare the slab?

To hold our heads high

or to hang them low in shame;

can we craft a middle way?

~

We can, but it will

require much vigilance

and lots of practice.

Who is brave enough

to do what’s right when those in

power say they’re wrong?

~

Is it bravery

to tie on the blindfold and

beg for one last cigarette?

When push comes to shove,

have we only false choices;

Oligarchs or Demagogues?

~

Pushing and shoving

are the false choice. The true choice

defies misuse of power.

When you need to take

a stand, who do you look to

for inspiration?

~

I would like to say

I look to Ghandi or King

for needed inspiration.

When you feel the pain

of life consuming time for

art, how can you find relief?

~

Making time for art

can consume the very pain

of which you achingly speak.

When your cat shows

vast displeasure how do you

begin to make amends?

~

Mend your vastly flawed

behavior fast to again,

regain lost feline pleasure.

When taking a stand

firmly against injustice,

why must we walk through fire?

~

If we feel the bern,

we must be willing to walk

the talk, go where others won’t.

Why does it, sometimes,

feel like there is zero time

to take a little time out?

~

When you subtract what’s

negative from zero, you’ll

find the positive you seek.

What is the secret

 to happiness and how do

you discover it?

~

Embrace the sorrow

and cherish the agony,

for they are the path to joy.

Must we continue

to just see duality

when we all are one people?

~

We humans can’t seem

to grasp non-duality

even about the divine.

Regarding tipping

points, do you think we’ll 

tip in the right direction?

~

Teeter and totter,

balancing on that pin head,

can we not all be Angels?

What demarcation

separates family from friends

and isolates whole nations?

~

Accent on difference

separates us both from each

other and our better selves.

When bandwidth becomes

the focus of agony,

is it time to cut the cord?

~

For us aged ones,

 understanding of bandwidths

and their agony have fled.

Can it be enough

to make a daily effort

to benefit another?

~

To move from daily

grasping to daily giving? 

It’s enough to change the world!