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Writings and Readings Blog

Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Poems for Mindful Writers # 10, 11 & 12

Posted on August 18, 2014
in Being in Nature
3 Comments

Hi All,The three poems posted here are from a set of five (# 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12) which I have composed to inspire mindful writers and readers. I wrote these poems especially for those individuals for whom writing mindfully is not only to progress in their professional writing but also a way of elevating their personal lives by a conscious endeavor.  Working as a professional artist for more than a decade I painted beautiful landscapes and impressive portraits. (I can say that because I no longer paint. When I look at those works hanging on the walls of other people's living rooms, I am detached; I feel as if someone else has painted them.) Since then I have realized that elevating my life is far more challenging and gratifying than creating a work of art. The best discovery I've made is that in practicing Writing Meditation...

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Poems for Mindful Writers: # 8 & # 9

Posted on July 30, 2014
in Being in Nature
3 Comments

  Poem # 8Simply WriteSimply write!Do not speak of writing.Do not speak of publishing.Do not speak of other people’s writing.Sit still in silence and solitude.When body, heart and mind are one,When your senses have moved inward,Let the stream flow.Unravel your knots in spontaneous words.Other writer’s success or failure does not affect you.Profit or loss does not touch you.Praise or criticism does not ruffle you.Derive pleasure solely from writing.Experience the bliss.And simply write!  Poem # 2Door of OpportunityA careless critique from a fellow writer? Return her’s with honest comments.“Here” she hands you the draft. “I have pointed out your weaknesses.”Show her where her strengths lay.She grabs the opportunity that was rightfully yours,Congratulate her on her success.By critiquing honestly,By learning from your own strengths and skills,By preparing through tough circumstances,Attain the strength no one...

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Endless Love #6 and A Prayer for Peace #7

Posted on July 4, 2014
in Being in Nature
1 Comment

Dear Mindful Readers and Writers,The Mindful Writers Wisdom Weekend Retreat is approaching fast. So far twenty-three writers have reserved their spots. Registration is still open. If you are interested please feel free to write to me at madhu.wangu@me.com.  or visit the retreat Facebook Page: Mindful Writers Retreat 2014.  Here are two new pieces, a poem and a hymn, for you to enjoy.I look forward to your comments.   ENDLESS LOVE  The evening star.Lovers in a tryst.Forbidden Endless Love The evening star.Stars in a galaxy.Galaxy within galaxies. Unceasing rousing inward.Unfathomable exploding outward.Blossoming, Constricting Whence it comes?Whence it goes?  A PRAYER FOR PEACE My body still in silence and solitude.May the tumult within me cease.May I feel as calm as sea after the storm.My heart free from attractions.My mind free from distractions.Silence in my ears.Silence on my forehead.Silence in my eyes.Silence on my lips.Silence in...

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A TOOTH FELL # 4; WHO AM I? # 5

Posted on April 21, 2014
in Being in Nature
2 Comments

A Tooth FellPoem #4 A tooth fell…A milk tooth from a five year old. A tooth cracked…A hollow tooth from an eighty-five year old. The first one blossoming to life,The second withering away from it. The first one learning about the elements.The second merging back into them. A fender falls here, a tire there. The one who identifies only with the body,disintegrates like an old car. Become self-aware; identify with consciousness.And merge back into Consciousness.  *****   Who Am I?Poem # 5  Who am I?  By paying attention to one personal thoughtI come to know all my thoughts.   By attending to one honest feelingI come to experience what flows within me.  By doing one genuine act, uttering one truthI know what my actions are aimed at. I make invisible, visible.  By attending withinI get to know my authentic Self. That’s who I really am!...

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Two Poems

Posted on March 31, 2014
in Being in Nature
4 Comments

  One March Morning Outside my window this morning, I heard a red robin sing.  Did I see the song?Did I smell the song?Did I taste the song?Did I touch the song? I wore the red song.Spread my wings, andsoared the sky. I saw the seas and the land,against the blue sky.I saw the fragile earth. Back on the firm ground.I felt “more than” a woman—a human.   Writing Pleasure Simply write!Do not speak of writing.Do not speak of publishing.Do not speak of other people’s writing.  Read ravenously, voraciously.Unravel your knots in spontaneous words.Move your senses inwards by sitting still.When body, heart and mind are one,flow streams smoothly.  Other writer’s success or failure does not affect you.Profit or loss does not touch you.Praise or criticism does not ruffle you. Derive pleasure solely from writing.Feel admired and honored by the Self.Write, simply write!...

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Inspiration and Stillness

Posted on March 10, 2014
in Being in Nature
10 Comments

Dear Readers, My illness though banal left me in no mood or strength to post New Year Greetings. So today, please let me wish you a belated Happy New Year! The months of January and February passed by in a flash. I was neither quite sick nor wholly well. Watery eyes. Runny nose. Dripping fluids weakened my sense, made my thought process incoherent No fever. But the dry cough refused to leave me until the end of the second month. After four weeks of cough syrups, nose spray, cold tablets and inhaling steam three times a day I got my normal health back. But looking back I would rather not complain about two months of common cold. Many things were revealed to me during my illness that I could not have envisioned in health. (Except...

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DEFINING MOMENTS & LESSONS LEARNT by James Robinson

Posted on January 11, 2014
in Meditation
4 Comments

A number of defining moments have shaped my life such as my marriage, the births of my children and grandchildren. Equally important are the defining moments of my writing life. The moments that "I chose (this path) and that's what's made all the difference." (Robert Frost) One such moment happened when-after our family's annual trek to Hilton Head Island in 1994. I promised myself to begin writing in earnest. I began by writing about mid-life. I had a lot to write about. My body, at the tender age of 40, was starting to betray me. My buttocks sagged. My favorite pair of jeans became ill fitting overnight and so on. I had a book's worth of material. I tentatively titled the book Fighting Mr. Gravity. Pretty silly, right? I queried to agents...

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You Are Never Too Old to Write

Posted on January 11, 2014
in Being in Nature
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As we grow older our writing process may slow down. Our short-term memory may not be as sharp. Spelling may elude us at times. But we are constantly aware if we want to complete a book of our dreams we must write daily. We cannot procrastinate. And when we finish a piece and see our work in print what an exhilarating experience that is! James Robinson, this month's guest writer shares his experience of starting to write rather late in life in his piece, "Defining Moments and Lesson Learnt." (See Writing & Meditation Page) You are never too old to start practicing mindful writing. Those moments when your heart is overflowing with feelings and thoughts simply bring out your notebook or laptop and begin. Write as long as you can keep...

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FINDING A SAFE PLACE by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Posted on December 1, 2013
in Meditation
4 Comments

"Wisdom is like a fire; people take it from others" (East African proverb)   I joined the Mindful Writers Group in 2012 just before the group went on its three months winter hiatus. I had attended only three meetings and looked forward to the Spring 2013 when the yearly session was to start. I had no idea if I would really feel at home writing in a room full of people and food (although the food was definitely a bonus). But now that I know and understand the group mindset I find it a very fulfilling experience.   The Group is an interesting exercise in trust and acceptance. Perhaps some of the writers know each other outside of the group but I do not. Yet I come eagerly every week to sit...

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