0 commentsDream Big
Dream big. Dream beyond the constraint of shapes,
the rocking, swaying rollicking concreteness of form.
Dream the distance between today and someday,
dream more fiercely than here, than now, than what is;
Feel the rays of “what if” bounce out to space
In long wavelengths of what will be.
See that what is seen is not seen but interpreted,
Then learn the language of audacity.
Dream big. Dream with a maniacal audacity like
the sensorial, salacious and sane saccade,
the electrochemical, staccato tap-dance of vision.
Fetch the far-fetched. For it is the steady hand
That maintains, and the trembling mind that creates.
0 commentsLove Eternal
Love eternal cannot be had;
All things grasped will be unclasped
Like hands that lose their early might.
Love eternal cannot be seen;
All sunsets fade away
And even eyes, in death, decay.
Love eternal can only pass
Like a migrant bird: the trackless
Tracks upon the sky.
Wednesday, November 17th, 2002
0 commentsDuring the last few weeks I’ve been riding my bike with a religious fervor. Despite feeling stressed about RISD classes, the fact that my best friend continues to ignore me, my grandma’s fall, and doubts about how to proceed with my thesis, cycling has served as a constant, steady anchor point. I know that so long as I get up in the morning and will myself on the bike, by the time I get back home I will feel energized, productive and ready for the day. It isn’t just the fact that I love bicycling (though I most certainly do), nor is it that riding the bike gets me outside into the fresh air (though I love that feeling as well), but rather it’s the fact that by cranking out 20,30, 40 or more miles I feel like I am progressing, making my muscles and lungs and heart stronger, my mind crisper. It is very rare for me to go for a bike ride and then feel sad during the rest of the day, yet I often struggle with sadness on days that I do not ride.
0 commentsHush, Hush, Oh Heart!
hush, hush, oh heart,
wake not the world with your ranting and raving;
the moon for which you long can hear you
even in your occasional silence,
like a sound wave tearing through space
towards the eardrum of some distant, blissful place.
hush, hush, oh heart,
your secret is safe with me. The key
is hidden in every atom of every drop
of every instant that you pound ferociously
against the four walls of Death;
one day the moon will find you
And set free the music in your muscles.
0 commentsI feel tired and inadequate. I have just taken a break from reading a biography of Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners in Health. Dr. Farmer is one of those people–like Gandhi, like Muhammad Yunus–whose boundless energy, passion and devotion to his cause are what enable him to succeed in solving some of the most intractable problems in the world. Compared with the towering, unyielding energy of these people, I feel small, meek and timid. When I was in Cairo, for instance, helping my amazing friend T.H., I was overwhelmed by the slums in which he works. And while I long to lead a life as committed as his, I at times fear that I will not be able to overcome the roadblocks in my own mind.
What to do?
Click here to download a PDF of my complete thesis. Questions and comments are much appreciated!
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