rohnbayesjourney

bug on the window

climbing up past the 'twin sisters bakery and cafe' sign up past the fading fiesta decorations red & yellow paper cut outs in the shape of cactus and suns and butterflies straight up all the way up to the seal holding the window in it's frame all the way to the ajutting ceiling a different plane a different texture he loses his grip and flies

nice adaptation i think just unfold a pair of wings and take off sensory guidance system on full alert zooming into the unknown the wild the wide circle the currents of air the fabric of the world it soars it hovers seamless leaflike wings beating and it's gone with a burst of speed

red & blue

i don't know when this happened
or how we got here but now everything is
red & blue
you're either in a red state or a blue state

so what's the synthesis of the two
purple ?? green ??
i need to know
mauve ??
pink-grey ??

and how can we move away from
the true blue the ultrafantastic
red into a shaded grove with a circle of stones
and a slight breeze and a scent of magnolia

coming from the canopy and a bird's call
a bunting that seems to say
sit here for awhile sit
by the stones and look the grey
is green and the green is black

and the sky is changing not blue
not white not even azure

peace and prosperity :: is it possible

presented at the Philosophy Dialogue Series
Texas State University
3.5.08

** introduction ** when i look around at this world - the world i share with all of you - i see escalating conflict - i see proliferation of war and the means of war - i see the struggle for control of dwindling resources amidst a burgeoning population and ofcourse i see that the nation who is considered to be the leader of the world is infact the one who has set the standard for weapons of mass destruction so that any nation who wants to gain power and influence and climb the ladder necessarily does so by acquiring their own weapons whether it’s a truck load of AK-47’s or a nuclear bomb

i also sense a feeling of unease and anxiety about where this is all going

  > models of the world

what i would like to suggest is this :: that the world which i have described is something we have constructed that this is a projection of our beliefs and values and ideas and that if we don’t like the direction it’s taking us we can change the model - we are the choosers we are the conscious deciders we are the ones projecting this film on the screen ** major point ** and we are the ones who can change the film

maybe for example you grew up in a family with lot’s of siblings and one day mom baked a pie and set it on the window sill to cool and you saw it and you wanted a piece - you were hungry but so were your siblings - they saw the pie too - so what did you do ?? you exerted control and domination techniques and made sure you got your piece of the pie - this is a learned response and like many of the responses we learn once they are repeated over and over they become patterns or models

we have adopted a model of the world today that says - ‘struggle and strife are endemic to the human condition’ it says ‘there’s not enough for everybody so i have to make sure i get mine’ and this model is not new by the way - it goes back thousands of years - the roman proverb ‘if you want peace, prepare for war’ is an example so if we are the projectors and this film that is playing against the screen of the world is rolling thru our heads how do we change that film - how do we play a film that we enjoy - that doesn’t have the dire consequences that we see unfolding before us ?? 

  > how do we change the model ??

first of all maybe we need to be aware that we have chosen a model - whether consciously or by default ** major point ** and that we are projecting these ideas onto the screen of this world and maybe we need to be aware that there are many models we could choose

our distant ancestors the hunter/gatherers lived for many thousands of generations on this earth relatively successfully (and still exist today) with a model of the world that saw nature as their provider they didn’t seek domination or control - it was a mother force mother nature - they didn’t see the world thru scientific explanations as we do today they saw gods and nature spirits and strove to be on friendly terms with them so all could be in balance - god knows they could be angry - they saw a world filled with natural phenomenon that they identified with human qualities so they could find a place amongst them - so they could find meaning - they didn’t see stars as massive far off objects fueled by nuclear fission they saw celestial beings exerting their influence over earthly affairs

today ofcourse we know that’s baloney - we know about gravity and the orbits of planets and that our sun is not a god but a very nearby star and this is all very obvious right ?? we have agreed to see the world this way because this is how science explains it to us and our model today is very different from theirs

  > empowerment

a football field is lit up from many bulbs
a shirt is woven from many threads
we are the bulbs
we are the threads
sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between one’s conditioning and that which we know innately to be true - between innate knowing and opinion - between certainty and belief - maybe conscious choice is actually about knowing ourselves so we can make the distinction ** major point ** maybe the focus should first be within maybe self-knowledge is the platform which we can stand on with our own two feet with our own understanding and be who we are and express what we have to say and do what we can do maybe then we can create a model of the world based in harmony with our own nature - maybe we could create a world based on the idea that the universe is bountiful maybe mom is baking more pies maybe there’s an endless amount of pies coming out of the oven maybe we can create a model of the world based on the idea that cooperation is more beneficial to individuals than exercising techniques of control and domination as the hunters/gatherers learned - they knew this and that’s how they survived living in their small tribes in the wild world for so long - by close cooperation and common vision
so what is our nature ??

  > what is the nature of a human being ??

look at a new born baby - just born - it’s first day on earth - there it is a living human being totally helpless but it possesses an incredible power and do you know what that power is ??  this baby can smile a smile so brilliant so innocent so compelling that it can melt the heart of the coldest meanest person in the world - especially if that person happens to be the child’s father or mother - and this person may be ironclad - impenetrable nothing can touch them nothing can influence them - armies can be arrayed against them and they will remain unmoved - but this little creature with a simple smile can melt their heart without even trying - that’s powerful !!

let’s look at someone on the other end of the journey
this person is lying on their bed and they’re breathing their final breaths and they know it - this person will be going thru a process called ‘dying’ and they will find themselves in the peculiar situation where everything that has meant everything to them now means nothing - they are not interested in money they are not interested in their relationships they are not interested in politics they in fact are interested in only one thing and do you know what that is ?? this is documented there is a whole process that goes on from denial - ‘no i’m going to be ok' to anger ‘why me god ??!! it isn’t fair !!’ to negotiation ‘can we make a deal here - i’ll go to church more - i’ll be nicer to my friends - i’ll whatever whatever’ to the next phase which is called acceptance - finding peace - making peace with everyone and everything and this is all that’s on the agenda ultimately - this becomes not simply a nice thing to do not a pleasant option not something for later it becomes infact an urgent necessity

what is the similarity between these two scenes ??
the child has not yet been conditioned by society it’s 'preconditioned' - it doesn’t even have an identity - if you wanted to inform the child about some important matter the child would not understand - it is as close to it’s original authentic nature as it can be and yet when it feels content it will smile a smile so brilliant !! and nobody has taught it that 
the dying person has gone thru their entire life with all their goals and ambitions and achievements and now cares nothing about them - this person could be described as 'post conditioned' and what remains ?? a simple and overwhelming desire to be in peace

** major point ** i would like to offer these two examples as evidence that our true nature - something that we are born with and carry within inside of us all our lives has something to do with a deep appreciation of contentment and an indomitable longing for peace

  > peace and prosperity :: is it possible ??

and so to answer the question- 'peace and prosperity :: is it possible?'  in my opinion yes - it is possible because these qualities of peace and contentment are inherent within us ** main major point ** and if we choose to create a world in harmony with our true nature then the standard set by all civilizations throughout history ‘peace and prosperity’ can also be attained because this is the foundation - us - we are the projectors - we are the bulbs lighting up the field of play - we are the threads that make up the warp and woof of this cloth called the world and the fundamental tool for establishing peace and prosperity is being in touch with one's own nature - self-knowledge - being conscious - being aware of the peace within

addendum ::

to view a short movie that presents the idea of self-knowldege as expressed throughout history click on this website http://www.whour.org/ - the website also introduces the message of prem rawat or maharaji who is considered by many to be a master on the subject of self knowledge - the movie is called 'new dawn' - it can be accessed by clicking on 'visual' and 'new dawn'

examples of recent projects started from a vision of openness sharing cooperation and trust

> the internet (google that !!)
> One Laptop per Child Project - Nicholas Negroponte
> Grameen Bank - Dr. Yunus Noble Prize winning economist from Bangladesh

interesting link >
http://www.yesmagazine.org/other/pop_print_article.asp?ID=1463

The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

moment of me

long time no write
time to dust off the dusty pencil
and sharpen the senses
they're putting up a wall
on the rio grande to
stop the illegal activity
the storm clouds are
swirling from the
south surrounding
my house with cold rain
the time of my life is
playing a tune on the piano
and lauren gave me this
nifty pad to write on
fits in my belly pouch toolkit like a
snug marsupial

the new world order
is emanating from
the black eyed peas
and the tree of life
is hiding hawks and
doves and bluejays
and mockingbirds in the mural

at ruta maya it's all
happening and danielle
says don't worry it
won't happen all of a
sudden it'll happen slowly
like a sprout growing
like the oblique angles of
frank lloyd wright houses and
the dissertations of
academicians like the
loose underwear
scattered on my bedroom
floor too disassembled to
pick them up for three days
now i think
is this a happening or
a form of communication
autists don't communicate in
human language but are
in constant vibration
with their environment
maybe that's an excuse or
maybe it's a hopeful prayer
i know a foyer in michigan
with a font and a book
of quotes - einstein among others
once you can accept the universe as matter expanding
into nothing that is something
wearing stripes with plaid comes easily

the tune changes the
clock turns the warp &
woof of all that is
known comes home to
this moment of me
alarming in a way but
there's an early morning
day too and a hungry
feeling something to
hunt and gather i'd
rather catch a fish than
shoot a bird or maybe
the berries are ripe on
mulberry street maybe i'm
on vacation here with
no books to read
and only one to write
 

struggle

it's odd how i struggle with my struggle
my expectations posed against my self evaluation
like waking up from a dream that i had a motorcycle
but then it was stolen
i was disappointed that i didn't have a motorcycle but
i was relieved that it wasn't stolen
then i got out of bed

something is flowing
like a stream in the background
i'm playing with sticks trying to build a house
but it falls down
maybe some stones maybe some mud
will help
this is only a distraction

in one simple breath there is no stress
no fear only me

not the outside

'It's the internal work that needs to be done when you're on the catwalk.'

Sylvia Plath - fashion guru & journalist

big brain

i'm wondering why we got such a big brain

there is a theory that we evolved our enlarged cerebral cortex
as an adaptive tool because it gave us a survival advantage in the wild jungles
of wherever it was we lived for thousands and thousands of generations
searching for food
mating
searching for food
our main occupations
i don't get it
i mean how many brains does it take to get a hard on ??

ants are well fed and they have a brain the
size of a pin prick

so here's my theory
we aren't really that smart
what we do have is a large heart
if you look at it from an objective perspective
like you are a space alien visiting earth and you're watching
all this from your stealthy space ship  - would it really occur to you that we are smart ??

probly not
our technology would be primitive to you
sticks and stones

our endless wars would seem random and petty
the lunatic destruction of a perfectly good planet by creatures
that have nowhere else to live would be laughable
i suppose - either that or too depressing to contemplate
but the art
the buttressed cathedral of notre dame
the paintings of van gogh
the aspirations of a child lying in bed at night looking at the moon thru curtained windows
feeling the wonder of being alive
these accomplishments would seem far more impressive
and unique - space alien - you've probly seen your own taj mahal and tasted the subtle intonations of your own fine space wine and
i suspect you might notice our large heart the expressions of martin luther king

the poetry of kabir
i hope you might notice that we love each other
sometimes with great devotion and skill  . . . or atleast passion
and it's something we do well
even while the bridges we build are falling down

even while the bombs we build are dropping from the bombers
even with all our big brain inventions of control and manipulation we
evolved to survive in a big scary world -
we also have our large heart designed to bring comfort and give peace
on the long quiet nights when we slept by the fire dreaming
our dreams of heros and kings and halls and glory the goblins

and hobbits the goblets filled with wine the gods of sky and earth
sea and heaven
we dreamed of heaven even then
we created a god when we couldn't find it within
we lost our way with explanations and descriptions

too much storage capacity perhaps
designed to identify poisonous plants and predict the seasons

but the curtained window still draws our sight
when the circular moon inscribes the night
and we sit by the fire still

and gaze into another world
with all our heart

secret messages

recent discoveries suggest the appearance of

underground networks of
communicators connected by
a code

that so far has not been broken

there is a possibility of superior intelligence at work in these marks
other experts feel they are just scribbling

aheianw may mean 'my day' or 'get out of the way'
or it may not be an alphabet at all it might be a map or an iconography
it might be a cartoon
recent messages have been found that indicate

pre-intelligence and theories have been put forth
suggesting a connection with

early organic structures perhaps antedeluvean there is now strong evidence that indicates pre-sensory apparatus and congenital cognitive development along the lines with extra-terrestrials

if there indeed is identity there may be two entities

as evidenced by the euphiaday manuscript

   and the ahsltee ailmnzw manuscript

these two complimentary yet vibrant works show a correlation far beyond the normal

5 year old

some would suggest the existence of gremlin like creatures

i know them to be more like munchkins

this is what happens when i don't

let them play on my computer

the universe

was created in an instant of passion
and will end with the death of us all
another passion
i detect a pattern here

all that we call god has come to
pass since our minds grew large enough to
embrace it
before that it was all passion

all the fleeing stars

all the cars in transit
all the cornfields and their tassels
and the spatula in my drawer

all the country music songs
and their twangy guitars
all the words ever spoken
all the frogs in their pond

all the walls and their doors
all the chocolate all the horrors of war
all the horses all the cows
twitching casually all the grass
and it's roots spreading magically through
the tombs of our fathers
all our mothers all our loneliness
all our pride

all our tries to find love
that go unnoticed all my suggestions
to the point of conjecture

all this passion
it's death that dies
when we feel it

the story of two pumpkins

on halloween night the scary tree was ready
all thru the house was excitement the halloween was here

now today the pumpkins are sad as they phase into their retirement
once happy and hopeful pumpkins their dissapointment grew glum as
they thought about it

we didn't know we had broken the homeland security code for too spooky houses
we didn't know about the full white light illuminating the porch like marks house

the scary tree stood
silently

waiting for trick or treaters
that never came instead skipped by to mark's house because he's having a big party
i didn't go
i stayed home with my sad pumpkins

city

sometimes a river
winds thru it like salome’s dance
the buildings rise on

the bank
city may be
a bridge a floating
jewell a flash an appetite

i’m in brisbane
thinking these thoughts
they call it city here
the city
a cell

a mojito
lights against the night sky
the river taxi crosses
rippled water

buddha the bottlenose dolphin
swims in during the summer
when the waters
are warm
this is explained in the menu

a girl walks along the pier with a lit cigarette

comanche peach pie

just north of the davis mountains in deep west texas on the edge of the chihuahuan desert
lies the spring fed pool of balmorhea
there is a state park there now and a park ranger at the entrance 
and a parking lot for your car
and a large stone building with concrete floors built for visitors who want to change into their swim suits
before diving into the crystal clear water

on the approach to the pool there is a historical plaque explaining
to any interested guests that before the US calvary built fort davis in the nearby mountains
and drove them off - the comanche used to plant peach trees here
in the sandy soil along the stream that emerges below the pool

i'm pretty sure they made peach pie too
maybe something baked in a stone oven fired with branches
from the cottonwood trees that grow near the pool and drop their heart shaped
leaves on everything

i have not tasted comanche peach pie but i can imagine being a comanche
living in this desert and tending my peach trees at balmorhea or whatever it was
called then and i would
have baked a peach pie and served it with coffee after dinner on
special occasions - a successful raid on a mission somewhere for example

i suspect the recipe has been lost now
after their eviction from the springs the peach pie passed into legend
and ceased to exist
i have been searching for it nonetheless with a hopeful and naive aspiration
in truck stops and likely looking restaurants
also inquiring of friends if they have the recipe
knowing that ofcourse they don't how could they ??

yet still believing that the secret of good comanche peach pie
might reemerge somehow - if beseeched properly - and be called back into
existence at a tea party somewhere with yerba mate
or strong coffee sweetened with agave nectar poured from
a clay bowl glazed and decorated with mountains and a stream
winding all the way down to the base where i hold it
in my hand

a mother's funeral

a still body
a place in heaven
the eulogy
a trip to the cemetery
all in a row we carry the box
to the hole
and leave her there
with some flowers

sometimes i wonder what
that last breath is like
exhalation without it’s pair
the couple broken
unclaimed
no reload
for sure the far shore
the limitless horizon or
nothing at all
no way to tell
the sermon’s lost on me

still we all stand
here in the shade of trees
the stone markers place
for a brief prayer
and a word of hope
that glances off the stones
and thru our gathered copse
carried out by the careless wind
i’m leaning on my niece

it seems like a slight affair
to bury a mother
something well worn
and meticulous about this ritual
we paid for the civility
and there’s the comfort of friends
the heroism of the dead
lunch at the church

i pull into the parking lot
and find an empty space
turn off the car and wait
just for a moment and think
about death
the conclusion
the talk goes in a circle
from where i am to there and
back where something moves
across the black asphalt
a piece of tissue

surprised by the wind
and tossed like a bone
like it was lost and on it's own
far from it's home
it kinda skids
it lifts
it turns twice and skips
out of the street
onto the lawn

my mom was 90 years old when she died
she just had enough and gave it up
strong willed never dimmed by alzheimer's
and what she knew never forgotten
how she felt is what i remember

vine weather

all the rain we've had
all the mosquitos the sharp point
of agaves growing by the curb

and vines forming their
own road to glory climbing
by touch feeling

their way inside the house
growing thru the screens
in my bedroom coming thru
the bathroom window

if it keeps raining like this
i'll be lost in a jungle
of vines each leaf green
and searching and one day
far in the future someone

will hack their way thru
the multi-storied pyramid of thick vines
and find me

road trip

atlanta ft. lauderdale gainsville asheville
i'm on a road trip with a friend from houston
driving around in his cr-v he
used to roam mexico in the 70's in his
vw van up and down the coast i used to live on the beach
below akumal diving geeks on the reef 
we're older now and wealthy it seems to me
we're also much funnier mucha broma
i would say muy divertido in bob's excellent
spanish instead of waiting in the laundromat for
the clothes to dry we cruise over to harry's for
the best key lime pie in alachua county
and joked the waitress

today the party starts at 5
stop 3 on the tour
an old dive buddy from the yucatan is joining us
at phillips hall on the university of florida campus
with prem rawat the best party meister ever presiding
check out http://innerlink.typepad.com/connect/2007/07/an-exquisite-da.html  for the inside story

and curious now that i mention it
this trip around the north end of the gulf of mexico
having spent so many years on the south end
a party tour indeed with motels and ihops and the lovely
sweetwaterinn.com bed and breakfast where
we presently preside the frog in the pond and the giggling fountain
replacing van camping and the campfire lit beach beneath the palms

i gotta say something at this point
harry's has the best key lime pie i ever had
including that trip to key west the memory
fades and the best is now it always gets better

always come home
i feel the same