Paris ... Yes Please ...

Jeanette Winterson ...

Book collecting is an obsession ...

An occupation ...

A disease ...

An addiction ...

A fascination ...

An absurdity ...

A fate ...

It is not a hobby ...

Those who do it must do it ...

Those who do not do it

Think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting ...

A sister of the trophy cabinet ...

Bastard of a sound bank account and a weak mind ...

Thas Wussup ...

Jiu Jitsu ...

My City ...

Toronto Tempo from Ryan Emond on Vimeo.

If you stay ready ... You aint gotta get ready ...

Me and my childhood friend, and current UFC lightweight fighter, Mark Bocek ...

Bruce Lee ...

Do not be tense, just be ready ...

Not thinking, but not dreaming ...

Not being set, but being flexible ...

It is being "wholly" and quietly alive ...

Aware and alert ...

Ready for whatever may come ...

When you are with everyone but Me

You're with no one

When you are with no one but Me

You're with everyone

Instead of being so bound up WITH everyone

BE everyone

When you become that many

You're nothing

Empty

Rumi ...

This spreading radiance of a true human being has great importance ... Look carefully around you and recognize the luminosity of souls ... Sit beside those who draw you to that ...

Immortal Technique ...

The moment that the revolution stops ...

That means that the revolution has been betrayed ...

My love ...

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) ...

I miss him so much ... I begged my dad for three summers before he finally let me go to train at Arturo's gym ... Such an amazing human being ... Rest in peace my friend ...

On the eve of 29 ...

My nephew Noah (16 months) and myself ...

He came the night before my 29th birthday to bring me a cake ...

You are toooo cute ... Just stop it ...

Kashmiri Girl ...

You have to find a few spaces in your life ...

A few moments like oasis in deserts ...

Where you simply close your eyes and go beyond society ...

Move into yourself ...

Into your own womb ...

This is what meditation is ...

Simply close your eyes and forget the society ...

And become alone ...

No rules exist there ...

No character is needed ...

No morality ...

No words ...

No language ...

You can be loose and natural inside ...

- Osho -

Yeeeup ... Rolls Royce is the 17th largest arms manufacturer in the world ...

Cicero ...

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues ...

But the parent of all others ...

Tel-Aviv, Israel ... Tonight ...

Half a million protesters against the economic & political system ... In a country of 7 million inhabitants ...

Jews, Arabs, foreign workers, refugees and students marched together chanting

"The people demand social justice" ...

Joy ...

Freedom ...

The moment you can visualize being free from the things that hold you back ...You have indeed begun to set yourself free ...

Sculpture by: Zenos Frudakis "Freedom"

Rainer Maria Rilke ...

Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart ... And try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language ... Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them ... And the point is to live everything ... Live the questions now ... Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer ...

William Shakespeare ...

Poor and content is rich, and rich enough

Love This Poem ...

Qur'aan 64:3

He created the heavens and earth with Truth

Formed you and made your forms beautiful

And to Him is the homecoming

Anna Kamienska ...

I pray in words ...
I pray in poems ...

I want to learn to pray through breathing ...
Through dreams and sleeplessness ...

Through love and renunciation ...

Experience love before you contemplate the metaphors

Søren Kierkegaard ...

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use ...

Zak Attack !!!

The Future Of Mixed Martial Arts ...

Langston Hughes ...

Poetry can make people think ...

Some poems can make people think about changing all mankind

Even the whole world ...

Poems, like prayers, posses power ...

Gaza ...

Cool Doc ... Check it ...

Looooove this ...

LOL ... Love Bas Rutten ... Enchiladaaaa's !!!

Love Bas ...

I love Adele ... And I'm gonna find the guy that broke her heart, and beat the holy mess outta him ...

A rare look into Bruce Lee's house ...

Dance + Trance ...

You know, that's how I talk to myself when I'm alone ...

I tell myself all kinds of stories ...

(André Breton)

A very short story ... In shadows ...

That dude Rumi ...

There is no such thing as a bad experience ...
Bad experiences are simply the creations of your resistance to what is ...

Getcho read on !!!

Rumi ...

Love is from the infinite ...

And will remain until eternity ...

Ibn Ata’illah ...

My God,

You know that, even though obedience has not remained a resolute action on my part, it has remained as a love and a firm aspiration ...

Anna Kamienska ...

I pray in words ... I pray in poems ... I want to learn to pray through breathing ... Through dreams and sleeplessness ... Through love and renunciation ...

George Leonard ...

The essence of boredom is to be found in the obsessive search for novelty ... Satisfaction lies in mindful repetition ...The discovery of endless richness in subtle variations on familiar themes ...

Amazing Piece ... (The Suicide Letter MJ Should've Written) ...

Tis the season to be jolly ... Fa lala illaaa ha illallaah ...

Eid Mubarak !!!

Muslim ...

If a person knew to what extent he was surrounded by God's Mercy ...
He would never raise his head from prostration ...

Wicked Poem ...

Beauty Manifest ...

Capoeira ...

Ornette Coleman ... Paris, October 9, 1969 ...

No, you can’t do nothin’ by yourself ...

We live in a world where someone can ask who the richest man in the world is and be given a name. But you can’t name the poorest man in the world. They come in the millions. If you can do something by yourself, you are automatically above the others. What you must try to do is bring the ones who are down up to the level of what you believe it could be for everybody. Not that you’re there yourself, but you just know what the level could be. If more people supported that level, you would have others to work with. Unfortunately, people think, What’s in it for me? They can all calculate that very quickly.

What’s very strange about music is that there isn’t any measuring point. You can’t know how good someone is unless you have something to check what you have already accepted. Like myself—I have never in my life seen anyone explain how and what I’m doing in music. But everybody knows that it’s not important enough to back. It’s strange; they don’t do that with material values. If something is rare, then it’s more important than anything common; but that isn’t the way it goes in human affairs. That’s funny, huh?

Its backward.

Yeah, that’s what it is. I think if people know you’re doing something well and they know that you’re not trying to destroy them, they will support you. I grew up in a white society with white rules and white philosophy, but I grew up with a black conscience. My consciousness of myself as a black man makes me realize that unless I can be integrated into white society and its values, I can’t achieve the wealth they have created. They have created a society where any unknown white person can put something on the market and become successful. I don’t see why a black person can’t do that. They have to control what you do first, then give it to you like welfare.

Maybe it’s in the nature of a white person to be against anybody who is not white. But in that case they shouldn’t have schools and rules. They should say no black person is allowed to read and write. They should let you know what your limitations are. They shouldn’t say you can succeed if you can learn, because you can’t.

I haven’t had a booking agent or a manager in ten years. Every gig I’ve had I got myself. I haven’t made any money, but I haven’t been without too many meals. People see me with new clothes on and think I have lots of money and that I’m successful. I was born in the black community, where the best thing to do is be clean and not let anybody know what your problems are. I have walked the streets wearing silk suits when I was hungry. I know that if you’re clean, at least the dignity of being human is still there. I would rather think human first than think of being defeated because I’m black. I met a white guy the other day who accused me of being an agent for some secret black society. I said: “Man, you got to be crazy.” They can’t put their finger on me, because I don’t belong to any organization. People don’t realize you needn’t belong to an organization for the betterment of this or that just to do something you believe in. You can do it without joining anything.

From Notes and Tones: Musician to Musician Interviews by Arthur Taylor

Mahmoud Darwish ... A People With No Poetry Is A Defeated People

Amazing Story ...

One of my favourite Jiu Jitsu players ...

Beautiful Ending ...

An Article Review For My Book ... 08/20/2011

Interview and Article by: Rabia Khokhar: www.keepingithalal.com

R: I feel like you use such simple words to say such grand things. In a sentence or a few words how would you describe your own writing style ?

J: My friend once told me that when people are in need of soul food, they don't need something complicated ... Just something simple, that goes straight and direct to the heart ... I would say my writing style is refreshing and original with a range that's horizan wide ...

R: How long have you been writing for ?

J: I've been writing for 5 years ...

R: What do you like best about writing ?

J: I write because of my emotional need to ... Writing is a very painful process sometimes ... The root of why I started writing is very organic ... There was never an intention ... I never set out to be good at it ... I kind of did it cause I thought of it as survival at the time ... Poetry, unlike many other art forms, it's primary base is the fact that you're vulnerable ... I mean, you have to be in a vulnerable place in order to be effective ... It embraces all the ideas about vulnerability ...

R: What specifically inspired you to put this book together ?

J: My need to want to give myself ... My need to connect to people ... To try and get closer to humanity ... The humanity that connects us all together ... I believe books are a passionate affair ... And a collection of them is an affair of passion ...

R: After reading your poems I believe that your poetry is quite global, by this I mean that it highlights many of the issues faced in the world yet at times these are subtle messages that the reader him/herself have to decipher them. Through your writing what message are you trying to convey ?

J: I want people to be unafraid to examine their convictions ... To always recreate themselves ... To get out of the exile ... To love yourself enough to lift each other up ... To trust the divinity of life ...

R: From this book which are your 2 favourite poems ? Why ?

J: The two that stand out are "Handala" and "Why" ...

- "HANDALA", because I feel it speaks to so many who are voiceless ... And because I was able to use a piece of my late friend Ahmed Hussain's poem as the opening verse ...

- "WHY", because it was one of the most humbling, intense and emotional experiences I've ever had ...

Those are the ones that stand out to me ... But my favourites, are any of the poems that I've written for my friend Maryam ... She's the reason this book came about ... She introduced me to poetry and taught me how to write it ... There's a part of her in every poem I write ... She is like the sunrise, and the poems are like the sunset ... Each beautiful in their own way ...

R: How long did it take you to put this book together ?

J: The poems were written over a period of 4 years ... And compiling it into book form took about 6 months ...

R: Are you going to write another book ?

J: God willing, yes ... I'm almost finished writing my second anthology of poetry, and I intend on writing several more books of, not only poetry, but novels and short stories as well ...

R: If people want to learn more about your work where can they find you ?

J: On my website at: www.jafaralam.com , on my Facebook page at Jafar Alam Poetry ...

R: I love all of your poems, but after some consideration I think my 4 favourite are:
- The Slave and the Master
- Looking for God Everywhere
- Handala
- Why
Can you perhaps share why you wrote each piece ? And what you wish to convey through them ?

J: I kind of looked at these scenerio's and asked myself "Well, what does that mean to me ? " ... And I felt that these poems were important for people ... All four of the pieces really speak about the human condition and this need that we have to be received ... So I wanted to kind of stimulate thought and try to uplift people spiritually and conciously with that ... But essentially, like any book, the reader is the one that will give it, its meaning ...

R: After reading your book I feel like this book is so much about you, it’s like you have allowed people to get a glimpse of your experiences. Is this the case ? And as a poet is this always something difficult to do ? Sharing so much of yourself with the world ?

J: Most definately ... I did give people a glimpse into my world ... I think the book was well received because of the fact that it was raw and honest ... I kind of look at it as a diary written in the form of poetry ... I don't mind sharing myself with the world ... I think the connection between the poet and the audience is a communion ... And I think the audience or the reader, is very much an important part of the poem ...

I used to feel that my purpose in this world was to experience all this pain, so that I could share it with others through my poetry and hopefully give them something where they wouldn't have to suffer in the way that I did ...



Link To The Written Article:

http://www.keepingithalal.com/50/category/writer%20rabiaf3dba9c00b/1.html

Bruce Lee ...

If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life ... There are no limits ... There are only plateaus ... And you must not stay there ... You must go beyond them ...

Inside This New Love ... By Jafar Alam

Your heartache ends ...

He remains ...

Inside this new love, die (c)

Beautiful ...

Rumi ...

There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness ...

We are lutes, no more, no less ...

If the soundbox is stuffed full of anything, no music ...
If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting ...

Every moment a new song comes out of the fire ...

Arundhati Roy ...

The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you are alive, and die only when you are dead ... To love, to be loved ... To never forget your own insignificance ... To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of the life around you ... To seek joy in the saddest places ... To pursue beauty to its lair ... To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple ... To respect strength, never power ... Above all to watch ... To try and understand ... To never look away ... And never, never to forget ...

LOVE ...

And Ya Don't Stop ...

Shake the Dust - Uganda Sneak Preview from Loose Luggage on Vimeo.

Success ... Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much ...

To win the respect of intelligent people ...

And the affection of children ...

To earn the appreciation of honest critics ...

And to endure the betrayal of false friends ...

To appreciate beauty ...

To find the best in others ...

To leave the world a bit better ...

Whether by a healthy child ...

A garden patch ...

Or a redeemed social condition ...

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived

THIS IS TO HAVE SUCCEEDED ...

Return To Innocence (Poem) ... By Jafar Alam

I offer you light

In this land
Love carries weight

And may you taste the sweetness of all your dreams

You are the world
Listening to itself awake

Live recklessly in love
With the unknown of your life

Relax, Smile, Breath, Expand, Unwind, Love, Live and Prosper

The past and the future are only in our imagination
The present moment is the only one that never ends

And I'm tryina speak the unspoken word

Show me the revolution in your love
The riot in your smile

Show me a heart

Live and dwell in the laughter of your living

Queens are for Kings

Honesty
Is still in style

Show love
Grow love

What is the man
Without the woman ???

We are the children of children
So God bless the child that has its own


She walked by you

Your eyes whistled open

She was
The BOMB!!!

She forgot her heat
And you fell in love

You smile
Blooming

You think of her
Like a waking dream

She holds your hand
And your spine melts
In the sand dunes of her palm

And experience forms the learning

There is learning and unlearning to do

This is a world, where beauty absurdly dies

Love
Love
Love, lest you become hopeless

Pray, lest you become restless

Talk
Without words

Gaze into each others eyes
That is the original art of storytelling

Be a wind on the ocean

Be the horizons mouth
Freeing a sunset into her eyes

A smile
Sounds different

Fill an empty house with wishes

Listen to the silence
It has more to say than you think

Search for God
And there you will find Him

Write poems to her rhythm

Beauty is a transforming element
Of the mind

So look at her again
And tell her

That the moon
On its fullest night
Aint got nothing on her glow



ON A SIDE NOTE: Dear random person, life is waiting for you to step into your greatness



This is the beginning of forever

The first time you knew she loved you

Life lives
And death dies

Give thanks
For every moment
Every second
Every person
Every breath
Every fault
Every chance
Every laugh
Every sigh
And
Every mercy


You can never find light
While analyzing darkness

You'll never find magnificence
By analyzing your faults

She
Is the fragrance of laughter and new love

All the joy in our earthly lives
Is but a glimpse to what awaits

You
Are relentless magic my friend

Remember when you first met her
She was giving birth
To a beautiful smile

I think happiness looks good on you

She thinks so too

As she
Watches you catch her heart

Making you feel alive
Is the best mistake
She ever made

She will blow wishes with your fallen eye lashes

She will take your breath away, just by breathing

She will silence you, just by being

And remind you that it takes courage
To interrogate yourself

Forgive
Your yester-years

The beginning of your tomorrow
Is today

The heart has many languages
Learn

Every generation
Is the lost generation

Until we find ourselves
We are always searching

With your spirits strong and brave
Why don't you repaint the skies

And cherish each other
Like an un-ending gift from God

You have forever
To re-discover each other

Search for truth
Between breaths

Make her feel as special
As she makes you feel

And try to make smiles
Seek her for their permanent home

Tell her she's beautiful because she's from God

Tell her that she proves
Women can clap thunder in glass jars
And name it holy

Tell her that you love to love to love

Tell her that you're on cloud 8
Looking for an upgrade

Tell her that you're a slave to her love
But you're still broke as a joke
Cause minimum wage replaced slavery


At every step
A new love story is born

In this moment
Exists the story of your 2 hearts

In a world where sorrows wear faces of happiness

Promise her
That until "Never" comes
You're loving her forever

Embrace humility
Admit to when you're wrong
And don't let pride keep the words
"I'm sorry"
From your lips

Look at her
And dream with your eyes open

Look at her
And pray the horizon glows on the crevice of your first childs smile

Knowing that one of the best things a man can do
For his children
Is love their mother

Look into her eyes
See your grandchildren sitting around her skirt
Asking grandma to tell them a story

Look at her and tell her
That if you knew how to translate your heart beating in her presence
You'd speak a language that the two of you would never return from


Sometimes you are the splendor of another awakening in yourself
And other times
You are the wind sleeping on the shore of your mothers heart


Each time free



Come back
To the root of the root
Of yourself

Come back to that time
That day
That hour
That minute
That second
That moment

Before we learned to hurt
And cheat
And steal
And lie

Come back

And return

To innocence ©