There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that.

In one well
You have just a few precious cups of water,
That "love" is literally something of yourself,
It can grow as slow as a diamond
If it is lost.

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a
Stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

There are different wells within us.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far, far too deep
For that.

~Hafiz
1320-1389 C.E.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.

Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come.

~Rumi 1207-1273 C.E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be with those who help your being.
Don't sit with indifferent people, whose breath
comes cold out of their mouths.
Not these visible forms, your work is deeper.

A chunk of dirt thrown in the air breaks to pieces.
If you don't try to fly,
and so break yourself apart,
you will be broken open by death,
when it's too late for all you could become.

Leaves get yellow. The tree puts out fresh roots
and makes them green.
Why are you so content with a love that turns you yellow?

~Rumi 1207-1273 C.E.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember that things are never completely as they seem...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
..." But i don't want to go among mad people, " Alice remarked.
"Oh, you ca' n't help that." said the Cat: "We're all mad here.
I'm mad. You're mad." " How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice."You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."...

Lewis Carroll "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are words of Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation,1768-1813.

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing,
for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Chief Tecumseh (Crouching Tiger)
Shawnee Nation 1768-1813
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
~ Marcus Aurelius ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• If you test HIV positive it must now be reported to the state?

"Song of the Dying Princess"
From the Ajunta Caves #16

Your eyes have narrowed,
the sight is winding down an inward path.
Someone is singing inside your ears,
dear princess...
you are leaving this world.

Yet it is a song of welcome.

Take from your body
the garments of fear;
Death is a handsome prince
with polished, jade eyes.
Let him uncurl your hand
from the belief that you are ending.

Let go now,
your palace of dreams,
your jewels of brilliant light.
Dismiss your handaids
and all the world that loves you,
your short stay is done.
Step lightly into his boat,
a river of moonllight
is taking you home,
where all of the love
you have ever loved
is waiting for you,
to kiss and kiss your eyes open.

Vespers~
I know what you planned,
what you meant to do,
teaching me to love the world,
making it impossible to turn away completely,
to shut it out completely ever again -
it is everywhere,
when I close my eyes,
birdsong,
scent of lillies in the early spriing,
scent of summer roses:
you mean to take it away,
each flower,
each connecion with earth -
why would you wound me,
why would you want me desolate in the end,
unless you wanted me so starved for hope
I would refuse to see that nothing was left to me,
and would believe instead in the end you were left to me.

Louise Glick
"The Wild Iris"