“5:30 am” by Jim Kenndey

gliding train moves through early morning night

i see ASK in the window

should i ?

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, depression, poetry, anxiety, Health and wellness, vancouver

You are me – by Thich Nhat Hanh

You are me, and I am you.

Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?

You cultivate the flower in yourself,

so that I will be beautiful.

I transform the garbage in myself,

so that you will not have to suffer.

I support you;

you support me.

I am in this world to offer you peace;

you are in this world to bring me joy.

Technorati Tags: life, writing, depression, poetry, anxiety, Health and wellness, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – Why do we need to know?

 

When we don’t know why we are depressed,

 

depression rules our lives.

 

 

When we don’t know why we are anxious,

 

anxiety pushes us around.

 

 

When we don’t know what emotion is,

 

we lose the key to experience living.

 

 

If we don’t know what we don’t know,

 

we are well-programmed robots that wonder in the malls,

 

sophisticatedly scanning brand name,

 

but never smelling the essence of life.

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, depression, poetry, anxiety, Health and wellness, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – What is Depression like? Part II

 

Awake.

 

Why did I ……wake up?

 

as this person who can not see sunshine.

 

 

Want to breathe my last breath to beg

 

for this bed named “Cloudy”

 

to swallow my existence.

 

 

Come on!

 

Just disappear,

 

Zombielike me.

 

 

………

 

 

Awake again.

 

Why?

 

Where is the end of this torment?

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, depression, poetry, Health and wellness, vancouver

Socks – Jim Kennedy

 

Socks

 

Socks

 

Often warm and fuzzy

enfolding grateful toes

Now embraced by shoes

 

Secure

 

Ready for the night walk

 

 

 

Jim is a very dear friend of mine who lives in San Francisco. He told me that this poem came to him after he read my Which pair of socks. We took a picture for his socks last weekend when he visited me so we can finally post this poem here.

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, therapy, poetry, thoughts, transpersonal, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – Which pair of socks?

 

I exist,

in my breath,

in my body,

in my awareness,

I exist,

when I am lost in the wonder of early fog,

when spring snow wakes up sweet buds,

when I have a hard time deciding which pair of socks to wear today,

I exist,

especially,

when we meet in that amazing place.

 

(This poem is in a dialog with Lanny’s “Between inhale and exhale” )

 

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“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – The light in this chaotic world

 

I stop,

therefore I have

my awareness,

 

I experience,

therefore I see

my existence,

 

I tell you,

therefore you and I become

“us”

 

Technorati Tags: life, writing, therapy, poetry, thoughts, transpersonal, vancouver

iPodless me & San Francisco

 

The iPod is a great hit of the modern world. I am sitting here with my beat-up MP3 player; and still don’t feel like getting one. Looking at my MP3 player on the desk, I can’t help smiling at him (I think it is a boy) with appreciation.

My ‘boy’ has never been “cool” enough whenever an iPod was around. But it is just so “right” to me. Let me put it this way, not everybody prefers a supermodel. No matter how wonderful or sexy they look, they often are just not my people.

I got this player on the internet several years ago. It was on sale and fitted all my needs: It was quite light, had expandable memory and voice recording function. I could use one rechargeable AAA that would last 10 hours. What was so great about it which I did not realize then was its precious company.

I had lived in San Francisco for around 7 years. San Francisco was a very rough city for a foreigner like me, regardless of its beautiful look, incredible cultural depth, and amazing consciousness movement. On the way to where I worked and studied, I had great opportunities to encounter San Francisco’s rough energy: property, anger, violence, and craziness. I did not shut myself down when I experienced suffering. That was the way I chose to learn to be a human. I considered this to be one kind of spiritual practice for me. (Please don’t try to do this on your own. It is very important that you can protect yourself by shutting yourself down when you encounter something unsafe) Fortunately, it worked well for me. That experience made me the therapist that I wanted to be. It really assisted me to be able to see my clients’ sufferings more clearly without judgment.

This particular spiritual practice lasted for a few years. What accompanied me on this journey was this MP3 player and Michelle’s music, an album that I had waited for 7 years to hear.

 

Each day,

Michelle’s music met the suffering of the city in a very strange way.

Experiencing the chaos,

I was watching her dreamy music vibrated with

the tears

of San Francisco.

Technorati Tags: life, writing, Health and wellness, healing, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – What is Anxiety Disorder like?

Why did that waitress crunch her eyebrows at me?

Why didn’t I smile back to her?

 

Why did the new guy say that to me?

Why did I respond like that?

 

Why did that crazy thing happen to him?

Will it happen to me?

 

Why do they look at me?

Am I clean and neat?

Am I being normal and appropriate?

 

Is there something wrong with me?

Is it my hair?

Is it my shoes?

Is it my mind?

Is it me?

 

 

Am I the problem?

 

 

Will I be ok today?

 

 

Technorati Tags: life, poetry, anxiety, Health and wellness, therapy, vancouver

“Broken Words, perfect feelings” – What is Depression like?

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with pain.

 

 

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with confusion.

 

 

It’s full.

 

A heart is filled…

 

with numbness.

 

 

Then it’s empty.

 

A heart becomes emptiness…

 

Technorati Tags: life, poetry, depression, Health and wellness, therapy, vancouver