According to Buddha
I will help weeping ones to smile, by smiling myself, even when it is difficult.
in these frozen and silent nights
sometimes in a dream you appear
outside under the purple sky
diamonds in the snow sparkle
our hearts were singing
it felt like christmastime
2000 miles
is very far through the snow
i’ll think of you
wherever you go
***
SuperFlea Market, Etown, AB ~ December 2017
According to Buddha
The gift of truth excels all other gifts.
we both hate the holidays
our parents act crazy
and the mall is insane
let’s skip it all this year
and have a non-traditional, non-denominational celebration
Christmas with you is the best
we’ll have no turkey or guests
sleeping late but before we get dressed
i want to give you a present
i want to give you a present
***
Fort Edmonton ~ Edmonton, AB ~ 2016
According to Buddha
Smile, breathe and go slowly.
but love will come set me free.
love will come set me free, i do believe.
love will come set me free, i know it will.
love will come set me free, yes.
***
Sikh temple Nanaksar Ji ~ Edmonton ~ February ~ 2016.
According to Buddha
Wisdom is a chisel, love is the sandpaper. Man needs intellectuality, but intellect must be tempered with love. When you carving a piece of furniture, you have to smooth it with sandpaper or it will remain rough. Love is the sandpaper that takes away the harshness of intelligence, and smooths your intellectuality.
cuz i have been lonely
alone in a box of my own
they claim to love me and be near me
but they are all lying
i have been lonely, alone in a box of my stone
and this is the place i now know i belong
It’s my home, home, home, home home home home home
***
Edmonton, Alberta ~ John Walter houses ~ November 2015.
According to Buddha
When we learn to stop and be truly alive in the present moment, we are in touch with what’s going on within and around us. We aren’t carried away by the past, the future, our thinking, ideas, emotions, and projects. Often we think that our ideas about things are the reality of that thing. Our notion of the Buddha may just be an idea and may be far from reality. The Buddha outside ourselves was a human being who was born, lived, and died. For us to seek such a Buddha would be to seek a shadow, a ghost Buddha, and at some point our idea of Buddha would become an obstacle for us.
the sun goes down and five years gone
life goes on, yes, life goes on
i hope you caught up with your dreams
i hope you saved part of yourself for me
***
Edmonton, Alberta ~ in/outside downtown ~ November 2015.
According to Buddha
It is as if we are continually chasing mirages, only to be disappointed when they do not give us the satisfaction we had hoped for.
listen close, as close as i am to you
like the bell of liberty, i’ll ring a sound that’s true
and days go by and seasons too
in time our love may digress with the words we can renew
oh, i’ll tell you that i
i love you by and by
i don’t know if i’d survive
without a friend like you in my life
***
Edmonton, Alberta ~ November 2015.
According to Buddha
The quality of life depends not upon external development or material progress, but upon the inner development of peace and happiness.
and a swinging hot spot
don’t it always seem to go
that you don’t know what you’ve got
’till it’s gone
they paved paradise
and put up a parking lot
***
Pigtown, (Washington Village), Baltimore, Maryland
According to Buddha
The worldly winds can teach us about the texture of life. They can reveal its heights and depths. They can show us ourselves at our noblest and our most petty. They can draw from us new qualities and dimensions of being.
and i’ve got such a long way to go
such a long way to go
to make it to the border of Mexico
so i’ll ride like the wind, ride like the wind
gonna ride the wind
***
USS Constellation ~ Baltimore, Maryland ~ June 2015.
According to Buddha
Wisdom can teach us to separate people’s actions from who they are. We can agree or disagree with their actions, but remain balanced in our relationship with them. We can also understand that our own thoughts and impulses are the result of impersonal conditions. By not taking them so personally, we are more likely to stay at ease with their arising.
cause i saddle up my horse
and i ride into the city
i make a lot of noise
cause the girls
they are so pretty
riding up and down broadway
on my old stud Leroy
and the girls say
save a horse, ride a cowboy
***
St. Albert, Alberta ~ Rainmaker Rodeo ~ May 2015.
According to Buddha
We can’t blame one individual for what happens in our world. I think we should blame our entire society. Society produces our leaders and politicians, and if we try to develop a more compassionate and affectionate society, we will have human beings with a more peaceful nature. Leaders, politicians, and business people coming from such a society would offer hope for a better world. Our long-term responsibility–everyone’s responsibility, whether they are believers or nonbelievers–is to find ways to promote a peaceful and compassionate society.
wolf father, at the door
you don’t smile anymore
you’re a drifter, shapeshifter
let me see you run, hey ya hey ya
***
Edmonton, Alberta Legislature Building ~ May 15, 2015.
