A Child Becomes A Man

I've had just enough time to...   see a child becomes a man

Taken at a temple in the Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, Nepal...

Yesterday a child starts a fire

The smoke rises

An old man puts it out

The master said –

Neither be too happy nor too sad

Don’t be so attached

For change is the season

Not the reason

A child becomes a man

...where I saw an old man who was once a child

Nothing is permanent. Everything changes. Whether it starts and ends and begins again, man’s life is a straight line from birth to death, a constant change – with an end? But what makes a child a man, the wrinkles on his skin, the years of his life or the wisdom he gained? If he is wise, he is a man. If he is not, he is still a man. What then must he seek in the midst of these relentless changes? How does he find his balance? Where does he seek his centre in the turmoil of his joy and sorrow? I saw the old man who was once a child. I saw the child who will be an old man. I see myself in all of them.

Pussy Riot, Remember Us In Your Revolution

I've had just enough time to...   say a few calm words to Pussy Riot

 Noticed while taking a slow walk in the suburb of Munich

Dear Pussy Riot,

We respect your rights to speak

Will you respect our rights to preach?

We respect your freedom to think

Do you respect our freedom to be

Different as you are different?

In fighting for your rights

Do you step on our rights

Or does that not matter?

There are those that speak with gentle voices

Dream of a peaceful world

And toils to make it better

Believes anarchy is not the reason

Believes you should go free

Remember them in your revolution

In Praise of Shadows.

I've had just enough time to...   sing the praise of shadows.

Taken in my favourite hotel in the historic city of Malacca, Malaysia

If you understand shadows

You will appreciate its silence

Its floating softness

Its fleeting forms

That tells a richer story

Than sharp edges

If you appreciates shadows

You will wait with patience

For it to reveal

The nature of its dances

That takes you dancing along

Through their illumination

The object is true

The shadow is not

If you believe that

You live a world only of light

And have no reason

To praise the nature of shadows

The Reason For A Scarecrow

I've had just enough time to...  ask a scarecrow

A drive by shooting of the innocent scarecrow in Lebanon

Does a scarecrow scares crows?

If not, why have a scarecrow?

Having someone to look after the crop

Does it give you comfort?

When you know it does not do the job?

The birds are not fooled

To them it as a joke

To think they will be scared

By something as stiff as that

The birds knew

And the farmers too

The scarecrow is there only for show

The farmers can tell you

The birds too in their twitters

That there is a purpose to it all

A tradition that ought be followed

The scarecrows beg to disagree

The reason is that they exist

Don't Bend Too Easily To The Wind.

I've had just enough time to...   resist the wind.

Taken at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu.

Don't bend too easily to the wind,

The oak is noble for a reason.

The Hills You Choose To Climb.

I've had just enough time...   to go up Maxwell Hill.

Taken from Maxwell Hill.

Some hills you want to climb
Not because they are higher
Or have more splendid views.

Some hills you want to climb
Because they appeal to you.
But if you’re asked the exact reasons why
You yourself may not have a clue.