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Please take the time to read and enjoy my poetry! It is my ongoing project and I am looking forward to translating my poems into Turkish, Portuguese, and French. JFB
The Paradox of the Self.
What is my “self?” Who is my self?” It is something more than myself, this:”self.” I would like to think that my “self” is that part of...
hcdjfb
Jun 19, 20231 min read
The Five Virtues
Master Konzi (Confucius) taught the Five Confucian virtues, which are )in order of importance: 1. kindness ren (仁), 2. righteousness (as...
hcdjfb
Jun 16, 20231 min read
Chronos and Kairos: Time and the right time.
Put your watch and cell phone out of view for a little while. (We dare not say “for a few minutes,” as that will defeat the point.) Greek...
hcdjfb
Jun 9, 20231 min read
Soul of Oak
There is a venerable oak tree in my yard Older than old. As it grows, it becomes more substantial with each passing year. As it grows...
hcdjfb
Jun 6, 20231 min read
A Cure for Emptiness
Sometimes emptiness just creeps up. When I feel empty, But if I honestly look inside, what do I see? I think of those I love and those...
hcdjfb
Jun 5, 20231 min read
You are writing a life.
This is for my brave, beautiful, and wise Turkish daughters of the heart: Kevser, Seda, and Hatice. Bir hayat yazıyorsunuz. Günden güne....
hcdjfb
May 31, 20231 min read
I am repurposed clay.
There was a potter who was famous throughout the land for his quality work. Masterpiece after masterpiece came from his hands. People...
hcdjfb
May 31, 20231 min read
Chicken Rochambeau: Cooking Elegantly without really being so skilled about cooking :)
I promsed some people, including my friend Joel Blackstock that I would post this. Chicken Rochambeau-ish…my version of Chicken...
hcdjfb
May 23, 20232 min read
The State of the Union, A Dress?
I usually steer clear of politics, but here is a nonpartisan scorch, inspired by Dr. Seuss and reading the news. Senators look in the...
hcdjfb
May 22, 20231 min read
I am the dumb animal who speaks.
One of my least favorite terms is “dumb animal.” I believe that the term comes from animals being “dumb,” In the sense that they cannot...
hcdjfb
May 20, 20232 min read
Open your eyes to hope
Open your eyes to hope. Despair is no more than limited sight. Despair is blindness. When I felt despair, I was unable to see beyond the...
hcdjfb
May 20, 20231 min read
Justice and Mercy... and Grace. An Addendum
My friend, Jim Bishop, responded to me with a thought from my previous post that I didn't want to lose. He said: "Mercy is not getting...
hcdjfb
May 14, 20231 min read
Justice and Mercy.
Justice and Mercy. The Psalmist says that the Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness. The Qu'ran tells us that...
hcdjfb
May 13, 20231 min read
It's My Indian Summer: Sixty-Seven Trips Around the Sun.
Tomorrow, 7 May is my birthday. I turn 67, but the overwhelming emotion I feel is of gratitude for a happy and blessed life, full of...
hcdjfb
May 6, 20232 min read
The Beauty in Scars
There are societies that purposely create scars. Because they find them beautiful. That sounds strange to us, As we would probably prefer...
hcdjfb
May 5, 20231 min read
Betrayed by the Cedar Waxwing
You love a bird and it turns out to be a complete phony. No wonder he wears a mask. I had, at least, I thought I had… A very special...
hcdjfb
May 4, 20231 min read
Just ask the red-shouldered hawk--I am the alien invader.
A cedar waxwing, a blue jay, a goldfinch, a white-winged dove, a red-shouldered hawk, A monarch butterfly, several squirrels, a rabbit...
hcdjfb
May 1, 20231 min read
May Breezes.
A pleasant cool breeze hit my face Just as April is ending. Bearing the smell of some flowering bush But it wasn’t a lilac. It made me...
hcdjfb
Apr 24, 20231 min read
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