A fleeting thought

And every autumn, I must learn to be with the growing cold anew,

As if for the first time.

Because it IS new, fresh

Love in the form of Cake

This is one of my best creations this year, possibly ever.  I had never done any cake decorating before, but when my best friend requested that I create a mehndi cake for her wedding, my love and determination turned out to be greater than any sort of hesitance or fear.

In the months and weeks prior to her wedding, I practiced creating mehendi designs.  Being a little nervous about doing this for the first time on a cake, I told myself that I would decorate one cake as practice so that the "real" cake would be as close to perfect as possible.  Setting this sort of intention felt a little uncharacteristic of me, as I tend to be impatient with the idea of practicing and planning in general.  As circumstances would have it, I was unable to do a practice cake. 

When the time came to finally do it, I conjured up my deepest love toward my friend and said a prayer to the Divine, asking for its magic.  This is what came out:  

That's the power of Love!

I wanna be like Nataly Dawn!

Sad Guitar Groove

Wisdom Hair

Three inches of thin, effervecent white filament grows smack dab in the middle of my chest.  I am a woman, mind you, but this single strand of hair reminds me of an old man's chest or a unicorn's hair.  Is that so strange though? After all, I seek the serenity and self-assuredness characteristic of old age.  I want that wisdom. I want to be magical and beautiful and free like a unicorn. So I just stroke the hair contentedly, hoping that eventually I will grow into my wisdom hair. 

Something I found while excavating my room...

That's my Ottawa, not the remote capital city of a socialist nation, not the frigid city in charge of a massive passive nation but the oasis of warmth in a vast belittling meadow, the parent of naivete, the epitome of kindness, the essence of pure snow, true friends, with the world as your backyard. I am part of that, a little gullible as a part of trusting, a little crazy from the smooth life in a bustling city.

-- circa 2003

I asked Lord Krishna...

From a circulating email:


I asked Lord Krishna to do away with my vices.
Krishna said, "They are not there for me to take away. They are there for you to resist them."

I asked Lord Krishna to complete my body.
Krishna said, "Your spirit is complete, your body is only temporary."

I asked Lord Krishna to give me patience.
Krishna said, "Patience is a byproduct of difficulties. It is not given but learned."
I asked Lord Krishna to give me happiness.
Krishna said, "I give blessings. Happiness depends on you."

I asked Lord Krishna to free me of pain.
Krishna said, "Suffering makes you go away from this world and brings you closer to me."

I asked Lord Krishna to make my spirit grow.
Lord Krishna said, "You have to grow by yourself, but I will prune you to make you bear fruit."

I asked Lord Krishna for things that would make me like life.
Lord Krishna said, "I will give you life so you can enjoy all those things.

I asked Lord Krishna to help me love others like He loves me.
Lord Krishna said, "Now you ask for the right thing."

snowflakes II

Same idea as Snowflakes, different words:

I built a perfect snowman out of pretty white lies.
It turned into me.
My enchanted winter came to an end.
The snowman melted.
I dissolved into amorphousness.
It snowed again.
But this time, I waited till spring, when
snowflakes don their guileless form.
From the mud, a human emerged.
Beautiful in all its imperfect contradictions.