T here is a peace
That defies explanation
And not knowing
Is different than unknowing
To be free from study surpasses
A concept that defies definition
To be done with something
And on to something else
Is better than ending without starting
There is a way without effort
And there is a way that is just easier
Accomplishments are never easy
But plans and direction are limiting
With one hand on the pen
And the other turning a page
You can learn only so much from reading
You must finally set down your books
There is a reasoning that is not rational
Understanding that is more than description
To not debate and just accept
To keep from giving answers
But that which doesn’t fight
Is the better way for peace
There is more to life than solving problems
There is life without being constructive
We do not always need a code
For there to be ethics
There does not need to be a reason
For praying to God
With each letter
It is ok for there to be just one meaning
Complexity doesn’t need a theory
Creation does not need Science
We can act without explanation
And understand without being able to recite
We go on the journey
Without knowing the destination
There is a way beyond the way
Poetry supersedes philosophy
Tradition topples the modern
Instruments can give more sounds than voice
When you seek a another path
Maybe any path is wrong
You can seek eternity
But can you realize you are already there?
There is an emptiness that is still doctrine
And a freedom that has restraints
But what if you acted better
Before you discovered rules
There is more to right and wrong
Than opposites interrelated
To forget the knowledge of evil
Is better yet
There is a wisdom that surpasses man
And a foolishness that surpasses wisdom
We may achieve greatness amongst the mortal
But everlasting life is its own reward
Sometimes questions lead to more
Than just answers
There is a wisdom that is not sought
Knowledge is not the greatest gift
Attitude cannot be changed by study
Few change their mind due to argument
There is a reason few people read
And why happiness does not come from knowledge
There are ways to do things without thinking
But can you think without doing
Which is greater: Freedom or morality
But there is no reason to choose
When you can create without rules
And grow without sharing
You are more than just a sage
You are a poet

It is not always about right and wrong
It is not about a new way of seeing
It is not for our self improvement
Is is not for self discovery
It is not an investigative method
It is not a way to improve the economy
It is a way not to punish others
It is not a method of instruction
It is not a belief system
It is not for the benefit of others
It does not solve problems
It does not offer anything new
It does not offer a way to make money
It has no constructive use
Life is not all about accomplishments
There does not need to be a reason for poetry
When you are not focused on solutions
Or focused on getting something done
When you need a break from work
Or are told to take vacation
When you see a psychologist
Or when you are on daily medicine
When you have enough money
Or when you have no bills unpaid
When you need no encouragement
Or when you have enough self-esteem
When you are ready to retire
Or when you get sick
There could be many reasons
That got you to this point
But only one reason to continue
For the sake of beauty
For the sake of the moment
When there are words for the feeling
But they don’t fall in order
When you can’t think of what to draw
And have no ability to visualize
When you are ready
Poetry has always been waiting for you

Creativity is about possibilities
Art is about expressing feelings
It is not meant to duplicate reality
But to illustrate emotions
Art is an interpretation of reality
Art is poetry in color
Artistic taste is not the same as ethics
And there is no right response
The observer completes the work of art
The subject makes the object real
Art is an experience
Not just a creation
With each brush stroke
The image becomes clearer
With each wash
The image becomes more vivid
The artist projects their consciousness
Into the symbolic object
The work of art
Is the reflection of the subject in the object
The right time to create
Is when you are passionate
And passion comes from reflection
The reflection is about experience
And book knowledge prepares us for experiences
When you need to feel free
Work through your frustrations on the canvas
The value is in the subtlety
That the artist gives to their project

A movement without form
Far purer than poetry
A unified understanding
Of science and religion
We strive to go deeper
To remember before
We first heard any sound
This movement unites
Our heart and our spirits
It brings beauty unspoiled
By logic and reason
It is a method of learning
The highest form of religion
It is the same
In the east and the west
It is the essence of creation
It is our final hope
We reach out to it
As mere children
And respond to it
In meaning and in action
It is the language
Of our mind
It is the inspiration
That drives us to think
It is the vision
Of our imagination
It is the foundation
Of freedom and expression

When I close my eyes
There are countless patterns
When I fall asleep
Symbols come alive
There is a calmness
That our minds sometimes
Find by accident
A certain balance of chemistry
In the human brain
That drives us to action
There is a feeling
That we cannot ignore
There is a sound
That keeps company
With silence and emptiness
There is a magical experience
When our memories flow
In waves of water and wind
From thought to belief
From hearing and from smelling
Our laughter awakens
In each moment
We stop working
The joy of silence
Overwhelms the spirit
With each step
Through the garden
We create a path
And in each stride
We come together
We cannot count
Past our age
In the middle of the room
There is always space
To dance and sing

I cannot remember
The note before
I write it down
I cannot stop
My mind from smiling
When I think
Of new words
The time for finishing
Has come and gone
Where is meaning
Without necessity?
What is a solution
Without a beginning?
When will we learn
The beat of the guitar
And the notes of a drum?
Why do we write music down?
Why do we stop listening
When the music is finished?
Why do we start songs
We can’t finish?
When there is a reason
There is still hope
When there is a new chorus
It is time to sing
I reach out to the sky
But I can only
Run so far

The vibrations
Of stringed instruments
Is how the universe
Exists in time
For each frequency
There is a different
Realm of existence
When we create music
We harmonize with
The many worlds
Of divergent realities
We can experience
Higher planes of existence
In the music of the spirit
We can feel the state of time
Differently at each tone
Musical note patterns
Correspond to levels of existence
We invoke the attention of God
When we create pleasing tones
With a heart of humility
In each rhythm
We elevate our minds
To a different aspect of creation
To a parallel world
Of spiritual blessings

Music is behind
Our every joy
Our every action occurs
In the backdrop of sound
The harmony we experience
With our creator
Is musical in nature
How we see life
Is music incarnate
Everything we feel
Has a unique note
Every aspect of creation
Has a musical equivalent
In art and poetry
In sculpture and ceramics
Our hearts beat
To the pulse of a drum
With a sense of music
We are balanced
In health and in spirit
In every activity
Their is a splash of melody
With each breathe we take
We can hear a song
If we are attune
To the workings of the Spirit

As we experience
The natural world
We perceive that ever aspect
Has a harmony
And a corresponding melody
The water plays a song
It flows to a specific beat
The sky is in tune
With the movements of the clouds
The trees wave to a frequency
At the rate of the wind
In each step we make
Into the realm of God’s art
All of His creation
Reaches out to us
As a luxurious sound
A music without set notes
A kind of jazz of the heart
A way of seeing
That is more vivid than shouting
And at a tempo that is more regular
Than that of a marching band
We keep to ourselves
The joy of being an instrument
Of the orchestra of the Lord
When we do not express
The great music we live by

I can hear the tapping
Of a stuffed cow’s hoof
To the beat of an
Imagined rhythm
With each step he takes
He lets out a sigh
Which I hear as
The strumming of a guitar
The whole herd
Moves in great concert
Of a living orchestra
Each note is timed
To the perfection of eternity
The joy contained within
Those little hearts
Of fabric and softness
Can shatter my pride
Into ten thousand pieces
The melody of their songs
Elevate me to a higher level
Of spiritual fruits
In every waking moment
And even in the depths of sleep
They create movements of music
Greater than the length
A runner completes in a marathon

Millions of hooves
Beat the ground
In unison
The riders are angelic
With white fabric
Draped across their bodies
The Lord Jesus Christ
Leads the soldiers to battle
He is afraid of no one
His gaze sees through your soul
He has defeated the dinosaur
With a two-sided sword
All the red flesh is fallen
Into the rivers of blood below
The dragon’s wings are clipped
Like a pet parakeet
The evil monsters
The crypto dinosaur fish
And the King Kong
Who have special powers
Beyond the laws of physics
Were thrown into
The molten lava lake
That flows for all eternity
The unfaithful corporations
Whose stocks are worthless
Their offices vacant
And their business looted
Are bankrupt for eternity
With their board of directors
Along with the investors
Locked in prison
For crimes against humanity
There are no technology privileges
Or any legal defense
For all eternity
Jesus Christ is our CEO
Our commander-in-chief
And our pastor

A singularity formed
There was a big bang
And the universe
Was created again
There is a celestial city
Where suffering is no more
The fountain of youth
Is open to everyone
The city is on a hill
It glows like a polished mirror
Fit for a giant telescope
And having the value
Of countless Hope diamonds
The wall is as high
As the tallest skyscraper
Angels like US Marines
Faithfully guard
Each of the dozen gates
The city plan
Is square in shape
The wall is of vivid green jade
And the city is
24 karat gold
The foundation is made
Of the Crown jewels
The gates are
Mother of Pearl
The street is clear
As drinking water
The lights are always on
And the energy source
Is God Himself
The roadways will
Always be open
Only good, ethical people
Will be there
A river of water
As pure as from a glacier
Flowed down the main street
There was a fruit
For every month
The leaves of the trees
Brought peace between
The races of people

My sources of inspiration
Are a web of relationships
Which cannot be numerated
In any kind of list
Books give me direction
And my experiences give me vocabulary
But the Holy Spirit
Is my muse
This is an oversimplification
Because I cannot track the source
Of each line of verse
Or how the topic came to be
All I know is how I feel
And what I want to communicate
The words come in a stream
Sometimes faster than I can type
But understanding my method
Would drive a person mad
Even understanding where I come from
Is quite a feat
What is important is the message
And hopefully nothing obscures the meaning
I take responsibility
For the errors
And God deserves credit
For the good points

I reach but cannot grasp
I struggle but it never gets easy
The answers are numerous
But the question is singular
I simplify as much as possible
But some things are just complex
With a pen in one hand
And writing on my heart
My mind spins without ceasing
And my body shifts slightly
Where the light is bright
You cannot see
But even in the dark night
You can make out some things
You can know too much
And things can be too easy
Without struggle
There are no rewards
And without a path
There is no destination
I can change my mind
But I cannot change the world
Sometimes we think too big
And miss what is right in front of us
It is not that things are too complex
But that we expect them to be too easy
Big things can be divided into smaller things
And schedules can give meaning to lengths of time
We cannot expect to finish
What we have never started
We cannot expect to surpass
The skill of the ancients
We can invent something new
But to solve problems
We need to use our creativity
To keep under the radar
There is a way to change things
Without violence or patience
But we must think
In our own space
And not wait for others
To come on board

As numerous as
The needles of a Douglas fir
As irregular as
A guerrilla army
Each aspect is unique
And each discipline distinct
They come together
Like the organics in an ecosystem
Each plays their part
And each element is essential
A projects has its limits
A website can only be so big
There are not just theoretical boundaries
But practical ones as well
Complexity is easy to create
But difficult to manage
Simplicity is difficult to create
But easy to manage
Plan when you are small
And grow in a pattern
Focus is the key to being understandable
Consistency is the key to being clear
Write with discipline
Draw with intent
Organization is easy
When the components have similarities
Separation is easy
When the pieces are different
Management is intuitive
When you understand your field
Public speaking does not frighten people
When they know their audience
Creating and organizing
Must be done simultaneously
Creation must be done
With thought to the completed project
Organization must be done
With creativity in mind

It would be better for us
To be fascinated with literature
From the major cultural centers
Of the Asian continent
Instead of digging up
Places the ancient cultures
Worshipped false gods in
And slaughtered in their names
We seem to think ancient
Greece was civilized
But no culture can compare
To the humanity of China
Their entire system of government
Was based on a subsistence economy
They didn’t try to make
The rest of the world into subjects
Like the Europeans did
Leaders were encouraged
To study ethics, poetry, and history
People were promoted
Based on their character
And their education
Rather than by force or fraud
China’s weakness is that it
Wasn’t violent enough
To stand against the Europeans
What if that were the worst thing
They could say about America?
What a wonderful culture

I approach the museum
From the front
Walking across sidewalks
In an open grassy area
Flanked on 2 sides by
Old brick buildings
With moss planted on the walls
The carvings on the front
Are ornate and abstract
The building is well kept up
I walk up several cement stairs
And I go into the lobby
There is a series of stairs
Behind swinging glass doors
I pay and get my badge
I assume this is some way
Of tracking me by radio waves
I go up the marble staircase
Most the exhibits are on the second floor
In the front, there are exhibitions
Where the museum rents art
And has to return it after a few months
Then you pass by
Their collection are in back
An icons of Russia collection
Of original gold painted illustrations
Of various saints and the Trinity
In the foray there are small items
From India and Southeast Asia
There is a fairly big Siva stone carving
As well as smaller carvings in stone
Of various gods
There is always a large Chinese
Throne room, jade pagoda,
And imperial clothing and artifacts
On the left side are the Japanese rooms
There is a suit of Samurai armor
And traditional Japanese swords
In the far room
In the nearer room, there are
Small paintings or woodblock carvings
The Korean section is on the right
It has giant watercolors of landscapes
And there are several calligraphy exhibits
They also have a painting of a
Traditional design of a tiger
Downstairs they have a store
Where sometimes you can find prints or books
Of exhibits and a fancy French cafe

Europe and America are still
Falling over themselves about
How wonderful the
Greeks and Romans were
In fact, most Christian theology
Is based more on Greek Paganism
Than on the Bible
The Church respected Rome so much
That they made their capital there
They made their cathedrals like
Roman palaces in design
They made their songs patterned
After Roman songs
They used the language of the Romans
And they helped preserve the pagan
Philosophies and literatures
We don’t need more ideas
On how to destroy other nations
Have more sex and violence in our
Entertainment and popular culture
We don’t need our children
Memorizing the names of pagan gods
And the deeds of the evil spirits
We would never even think of
Letting the Bible into our classrooms
Because that would cause
A conflict between Church and State
Even though it affected
English literature more than Greek writings
But it is ok to promote the religions
Of pagans because we basically
Hate God and Christians
Because we want to live lives
Of hedonism and have no limits placed
On how much deviant sex and violence
We can dream up

Instead of picking from the hundreds
Of texts of classical literature from
Any of the major civilizations of the world
Mostly not white
And in easy to read modern translations
Out of the at least thousands of years
Of recorded history
We confine ourselves to 200 years
Of rich white male writers
We are a nation of immigrants
Except for the Native Americans
But the only culture we think worth
Preserving is 19th century America
From the point of view of
Rich white men
We are making a value judgement
That we don’t value non-white cultures
We say we care so much about
Multiculturalism but when it actually
Comes to the work part, we all bail out
And really, you can’t say
Hemingway is a better writer than Chuang Tzu
Or that Emerson knew more about Hinduism
Than the writer of the Ramayana
Don’t teachers get bored by narrowing
Themselves to such absurd and ridiculous
Conditions on what they teach?
Don’t they enjoy learning?
They are after all in the profession of education
Which they supposedly got trained in
And chose instead of careers in higher paying fields
Because they actually care
I guess not
Maybe it was just for the summers off

Most people paint on canvas
Instead of on the computer
But for many like myself
We cannot tolerate
Being around turpentine
Or other harsh chemicals
And so we would never be
Able to do oil painting
If there were not a program
That helped in this feat
Painter not only allows
A person to paint
In many different styles
But it also has
Hundreds of brushes
The pigments interact
With each other naturally
You can use a digital pen
To draw with
And you can even
Turn photos into
Painting with natural
Looking strokes
There is no other program
That is like it

LaTeX is based on the idea
Of structured documents
Document structure is an
Abstract concept
That people are familiar with
Although not with the name
How do you know
When a chapter begins
Or what is an index?
There is no set form
For any of these
Structural elements
You know in part
What it is based on intuition
The other aspect of
Understanding structure
Is consistent style
While there may be
Limitless variety in how
New chapters are marked
Or how we display an index
We can recognize it in part
Due to consistent design
Of every individual
Occurrence of each element
LaTeX allows you to
Mark where a chapter begins
Or what the title is
And it does the actual layout
For you by itself
You can modify any aspect
But no matter what style you use
Each chapter will look the same
You can easily transform
The document into
Many different uses
Like e-books, web pages,
And for printing on the press

Print on demand
Is a very recent advance
In printing technology
That has revolutionized
How books are produced
Before print on demand
When you wanted to
Publish a book
Or put your logo
On a t-shirt or mug
You had to specify the
Quantity before it was printed
As it would cost too much
To print out individually
In fact, your price went
Down per item
The more you ordered
And then you had to
Have somewhere to store
The finished products
Print on demand is
Entirely different
Each book is printed
Or your logo stamped
Onto a t-shirt
One at a time
And there is no
Minimum order or
Any fees for warehousing
And as a side effect
You get to keep
Your copyright
Even after being published

Social networking
Allows different people
To form communities
On the Internet
And share their creations
Or their ideas
With each other
In a common environment
With ground rules
And most are supported
Entirely by ads
Basically, the advantage
To the host is that
They get free content
And the advantage to
The individual poster
Is their content is
Hosted for free
These communities
Are a collection of web pages
That are easily designable
Because they are based
On common templates
That are customizable
So they work the same
And the content producers
Don’t have to design from scratch
There are social networks
For kids, college students,
Authors, book lists, music, videos
And even bookmarks
They are also great ways
To advertise products
And meet new people
Or keep in touch with friends

My pen is not my sword
The Bible is
My pen is my body
I move in slow smooth motions
Every motion is an arc
Each joining and turning
At every meeting point
I place my feet carefully
As in learning a new dance
I feel the warmth flow
From my kidneys
But I am still cool
And goose bumps raise
Off my skin
I stop to think in the middle
I sit down in a lotus position
I open the book
That I am currently absorbing
And leave it in mid sentence
As understanding comes
I make another connection
Another piece of the puzzle
Falls into place
My methods is deliberate
My routine is spontaneous
Where will I go today?
I have some ideas
Where will I go tomorrow?
I have no idea
No other plans than the immediate
I rush to finish it
The project is everything
If there is no record
Then I only benefit
I must provide stepping stones
For others following
I think there is only one person behind me
But he is panting like a hot dog
Who smells a hot dog
And does not want to wait
It must just be my shadow

There is a subtleness to our Maker
My Creator paints with tiny dots
A hundred people may crash in an instant
But a single person gets stabilized on medication
The God I worship is a God of the individual
He does not make every one get down on bended knee
He is gracious and humble
He gently turns individual hearts towards Himself
One molecule different separates a plant from an animal
If even one of a thousand processes work wrong a person cannot see
My Savior understands the power of one
He provided a way for all of humanity by Himself in just three years
Consciousness is a paradox
Existence is a miracle
Is God accountable to us
Or are we accountable to God?
Is it our fault for not making airlines safe
Or is it God’s for not revealing the plot to the FBI?
Can we create a whole world from a singularity?
Can we invent love?
Is there an aesthetics of ethics?
If what we create makes life better for one person
Is not that the definition of divine art?

Independent and confident
Elegant and refined
Like a tower she stands tall
Leaning neither forward nor backward
A top her head a violet waterfall
Framing her long nose and round eyes
A thousand words she tells with her eyes
With danger and excitement she tells her story
Casting long shadows
They are bright and mischievous
Her mouth parts with breath inhaled
There is a glint of star shine
She is worldly and sensual
Many fall for her charms
Face stark white
And lips red as blood
She is strong and bold
Mysterious and hidden
Like a young girl from Africa
Her hips gently swaying
Moving in gentle strides
She has somewhere to go
Nose adorned with precious metal
Looking down her stomach shines
She is radiant and hot
Sexy and charming
Her jeans black and fitted
She walks on platform shoes
She craves challenge
And she yearns for excitement

I finally decide I have said enough
And my message is complete
But two towers fall
And 3000 people die in a plume of smoke
My poetry reaches maturity
And becomes on par with any other
I am published for the first time
In a respectable journal
I get a Mac and I learn to draw
And then I am able to arrange music
I bring my pain and my hope
To others in art
All good writers are moral
Out of compassion comes beauty
And I have an increasing joy
To draw from
As I learn about other cultures
And revolutionary ideas
Out of the poetry and art
An eccentric blend of theory is born
And eventually a subculture
The theory gets a human face

Being finished and moving on
Is a very satisfying experience
It is not that I don’t enjoy
The stages along the way
But the lifting of responsibilities
Is freeing and relieving
Word by word
And stroke by stroke
I put my thoughts
To digital paper
With each task completed
A new one is born
Ideas drift in in waves
And inspiration hovers for a while
The past is very safe
The best protection for ideas
Putting years between yourself
And the project
Not only gives perspective
But affords time for others to absorb it
New seeds are planted
And grow to harvest
No one can take away your experiences
Nothing can diminish what you have accomplished
In every person’s life
There are moments of reflection
And to have something important done
Provides a place of serenity
And a way to relive experiences
While I don’t know
What the future holds
Nor what works are left undone
I can see progress
And I know I have exerted genuine effort
I have fought for those who cannot
In a way that is both obscure
And possibly very natural
That makes it worthwhile
And the effort seems easy

Fine art is not imitative
It is not photography
Creations are not just objects
They are representations
Of the epic heroes
And of the spiritual realm
Art is meant to teach
And people must understand
Not just feel something
The art does not mean just anything
The meaning is determined by the creator
Art is not meant to teach conformity
Or imitation of a specific style
It is meant to uplift the heart and mind
Art is religion and philosophy
We learn to create beauty
By learning morality
We improve ourselves spiritually
By God’s direction
And this is what makes art classical
Art must communicate
And people must contemplate
Art is a reflection of culture
And it does not evolve over time
Or at least it hasn’t in modern times
When we seek to be expressive
And to enjoy the appearance
This is not fine art
Art is serious and it is ancient
We learn from the classics
But emulate no one

American Literature has little depth
To it compared to Asian Literature
But I have good memories
Of when used to study it
Maybe it was because it was just
That I enjoyed writing or it was
Just preferable to math class
I remember mostly how I felt
It opened up ideas that were new to me
And new ways of looking at the world
It was something I felt very safe with
I guess I felt like Hemingway’s
Short story - A Clean, Well Lighted Place
The naturalism writings were new to me
And I enjoyed their cynicism
I remember reading Ken Follet
And James Clavell about other countries
They are obviously overly simplistic
But at the time were exciting
I always enjoy just learning new things
And books even if I don’t like
Their subjects
I was also very good at writing
I won a national peace essay contest
For the State of Oregon

I paint with the colors
That live in my mind
I paint with the hot pink
Of a picturesque sunset
I don’t stop to see
Often enough
I paint with shades of green
Of avocados in burritos
And kiwi shakes
When I have enough money
I paint with the bright yellow
Of the penetrating heat
Of the summer sun
That keeps my inside
In the air conditioning
I paint with the deep brown
Of a intimate local cafe
I frequent when I am
Out too early for lunch
I paint with the bright blue
Of the brilliant summer skies
I paint with the orange red
Of numerous pizzas ordered
When I don’t have the energy
To walk to the store
I paint with the dark blue
Of the pen I mark the date on
My backup CD-ROMs