stay soft

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”                                                       – Kurt Vonnegut

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”  – Albert Schweitzer

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”  – Mahatma Gandhi

“Kindness is contagious, spread it around.”  – moi  (Léa)

*

stay soft

–

stay soft

be a sieve

to bitterness

let it run off you

like water

on glass

–

stay soft

turn away

from the pain

that hardens

a mind so swayed

reach out to

hold a kitten

hear its mews

as a call to peace

–

stay soft

tread your footsteps

gently on the earth

les oiseaux

sing eternal truths

listen, listen, listen

you can still learn 

open yourself, let love in

whistling in the wind

secrets softly whisper

stay soft

stay soft 

stay soft

–

bisous,

lea

stay soft

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”                                                       – Kurt Vonnegut

*

stay soft

–

stay soft

be a sieve

to bitterness

let it run off you

like water

on glass

–

stay soft

turn away

from the pains

that harden

a mind so swayed

reach out to

hold a kitten

hear its mews

as a call to peace

–

stay soft

tread your footsteps

gently on the earth

les oiseaux

sing eternal truths

listen, listen, listen

you can still learn 

open yourself, let love in

whistling in the wind

secrets softly whisper

–

bisous,

lea

Mirror, mirror…

 

“Mirror is my best friend, because when I cry, it never laughs.”  – Sir Charles Chaplin 

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”               – Camille Pissarro

“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies how very different our ideals of beauty would be.”                   – author unknown

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

                 *

Mirror, Mirror

I embark on a journey

To find out just who is this person

Buried inside my eyelids

The one who lurks in front of the bathroom mirror

As I blow-dry my hair each morning

She mimics my movements

While I brush my teeth and short reddish hair

Thank you Clariol

Or is she mocking me?

We share a wardrobe

It is debatable whom the clothes fit better

I prefer to think the mirror is the one

Telling the tall tales

A mirror should never be believed

If it were kinder

Perhaps I wouldn’t avoid its glare

*

Bisous,

Léa

À votre bon coeur

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”  

–  Dalai Lama

 

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”   –  Lao Tzu

 

“Compassion is the basis of morality.”   –  Arthur Schopenhauer

*

À votre bon coeur

*

Because it is that season

You toss small coins

Into the open palm

Careful not to touch

Even more cautions

Eye contact not made

You who have so much

Fling a pittance at

The starving man,

Woman with child

Coat threadbare

Congratulate yourself on

Your generosity

“If only they would get a job”

Yet by definition

There is nothing charitable in

You

Or your act

A total absence of

Kindness in thought

And deed

Caring requires

Compassion

Not a quick fix

For a guilty

Conscience

Or is it all for

Show?

*

Bisous,

Léa