The ship of life

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Life is like being on a ship

Sailing on an adventure trip

Through waters that in tempers vary

From calm blue to tempestuous, fiery

I, the captain, am learning perpetually

To sail my ship such that, eventually

When my time on earth is over

I’ve found for my ship an anchor

Until then I keep my ship afloat

Storms may rock, not sink my boat

Tricks of sailing each day I learn

Savor experiences on each sojourn

Rendezvous with people as I travel

Mysteries of mankind I unravel

Thus I sail through the deep blue sea

Facing life’s vagaries on my journey. 

CEE’S ODD BALL PHOTO CHALLENGE: 2015 WEEK 27

Below are the “chicken sculptures” of downtown Annapolis, MD- they make residents and tourists “cluck”!
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Colorful skulls at the “Art of the Brock”- LEGO exhibit at Franklin Institute, PhiladelphiaDSC05380Crows hanging upside down- at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NYDSC05206

CEE’S WHICH WAY CHALLENGE: 2015 WEEK #26

Finally I have some new ways from my recent trip to Annapolis, MD

DSC05569Into the woods- At Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis

DSC05538Narrow walkway in historic Annapolis

DSC05585The Bridge- At Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis

DSC05436Annapolis Harbor

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Sculptures, Statues, Carvings

Some statues, carvings and sculptures…
DSC05399 (2)Environmentalists- sculpture at the “Art of the Brick” exhibit, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

DSC03097 (2)Sculpture at the Vatican City MuseumDSC05430 (2)

Story-telling- Sculpture at Annapolis Harbor

DSC05304 (2)Carving on the facade of a Hindu temple in New Jersey

The vice-grip of attachment

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Attachment can be a tenacious thing

Feeds on your needs and makes you cling

To objects, people, memories, emotions

To immutable thoughts and deep-seated notions

Letting expectations unreasonable creep in

That, unmet, cause resentment to seep in

Thus creating an endless cycle vicious

Planting fear in the mind subconscious

Sucking from life and love happiness

Causing futile emotional distress

And yet the attachment that with love comes

Is capable of generating beautiful emotions

Thus attachment a two-edged sword may be

Too little means you’re cold, too much brings misery. 

Farewell and a new beginning

“Every farewell combines loss and new freedom.”

Mason Cooley, American AphoristDSC04969Deep-seated boring pain

A sense of loss, a hope for gain

Tears taking shape in my eye

Overshadowing the glimmer in the sky

They stand as a glowing testament

To every passionately lived moment

That I experienced while I was here

To cherish them forever is my hope sincere

As I bid goodbye and embark anew

Fresh hopes eclipse farewell blues

Sad that I ended journey one

Hopeful that a better one has begun..

A longing to create

DSC05359Searching for my inner muse

Trying to conjure up a ruse

To trick my errant  mind to create

A thing of beauty that can satiate

A burning desire within me

To leave my mark for posterity

Create an object of timeless appeal

Something that lovingly I could seal

Waiting for inspiration to strike me

Which never does appear likely

Since the humdrum of daily existence

Offers creativity formidable resistance

Instead I play with words in vain

To express here my angst and pain

Hoping that this brush with poetry

Would spur me to greater creativity

Maybe my muse shall come to me

Hidden in these verses’ tapestry!

P.S. The photograph above is from an exhibition named “Art of the Brick”, an exhibit of creations using LEGO bricks by artist Nathan Sawaya, currently on display at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.

Passive aggressive

DSC04694Since we call ourselves civilized

Violence is wrong, we’ve realized

But we are still humans, and need to express

Our anger and frustration, that we tend to dress

In layers of words coated with saccharine

Polite words, disguising intentions mean

Don a fake smile and pretend to be friends

Then look to destroy them under some pretense

Apologize in a tone of exaggerated sincerity

Then turn back and blame others with temerity

This passive-aggressive behavior widespread

Where actions display bitterness unexpressed

At this craft, we seem to be getting better

Polite in words, but nasty in other ways that matter

When passive aggression comes to forefront

Our friends and family take the brunt!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Three Items for the Number Three

Lots of fun pictures for this one-there are statues, the Hindu Trinity (three Gods), bugs, flower petals, kittens..three boysDSC03104Hindu trinityDSC04207DSC04462 (2)DSC05208kitten

Confidence

Believing in yourself is an endless destination. Believing you have failed is the end of the journey.- Sarah Meredith

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My fragile spirit was crushed times innumerable

No faith in myself made obstacles insurmountable

My confidence was weighed down by sheets of reproach

Every problem I tackled with a fearful approach

Afraid was I of being laughed at, being judged

So every day with a load on my back, I trudged

Each step loaded with self-loathing and doubt

I clamored for help, but no one heard me shout…

**

I did not know when our paths first crossed

It was a gesture of help that fate had for me tossed

Whether it was love, or attraction undefined

The flow of emotions cleansed my soul and my mind

Those eyes became the mirrors to my heart

Through them I perceived, albeit with a start

How constantly fearful, I’d weighed myself down

And only despair could I perceive around..

Appreciation I found, and it felt so great

I wondered why I had found this path so late

The bittersweet experience of this infatuation

Was eclipsed by the discovery of my liberation!

**

Years have now passed, and I still falter

Major setbacks can my confidence alter

I bounce back always, that much is certain

Life’s like a stage show, and I’ve not drawn the curtain..

The world can raise its voice in a shrill cacophony

My self-confidence can silence those noises for me..

ROY G. BIV

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “ROY G. BIV.”

DSC05135Rainbow colors at Niagara Falls, NY

niagara (2)Another one at Niagara Falls

rainbowRainbow at Yellowstone National Park