Reuven Naphtali
“As long as some stories prevail, none of us will ever be alone.” —Toby Pilgrim
Reuven Naphtali
“As long as some stories prevail, none of us will ever be alone.” —Toby Pilgrim
“As long as some stories prevail, none of us will ever be alone.” —Toby Pilgrim
“As long as some stories prevail, none of us will ever be alone.” —Toby Pilgrim
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Dream…
I had a dream I dreamt that it was only you and me
So And so it seemed That when I cried You’d hold me close Look into my eyes
And whisper softly
I know today is hard Tomorrow we will get up and fight But for now I wanna hold you tight And love you through the darkness of the night
These lonely hours can be dark and cold But you don’t have to be lonely cuz you’ve got a hand to hold
Don’t Don’t feel alone Underneath a sunless sky You don’t even need the stars to shine
To know Know you’re not alone I’ll be the moon I’ll be your guide When you’re down or feel like crying I can’t always make it better but I’ll be there by your side
Hope You gave me hope Took my heart And bundled it In a blanket of your soft pale light
Then I awoke In the dark and all alone All this time I should’ve known Once my heart was safe with you I’d get old and once again the moon would be new
But that was That was…
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Many moons Many moons ago
Now I don’t Don’t feel alone Underneath a moonless sky Without your light I found the stars that shine
I know Know I’m not alone I’ll be under the stars I’ll be guided by lights That will never be far Even in the coldest and darkest of nights
It can be eerie It can be peaceful It can be melancholy It can be reflective It can be awkward It can be powerful
But most of all It can be still
A dark place where the only sound is your own heartbeat and silent shadows seem to jump out at you A moment of respite after a long day of interacting with people when you can deliberately bask in the hush and clear your mind A sense of aloneness in a space devoid of sound that leaves you craving interaction and wishing for better relationships and meaningful connections A state of deep thought in which you fill the empty wavelengths with a flurry of loud overwhelming thoughts A tense moment with someone you’ve only just met or with a fading friend with whom you have little to say A beautiful way to fight back when someone expects you to be enraged An undisturbed realm of tranquility that comes after life A weary mind that yearns for sleep and lacks movement
An empty stage A closed restaurant An idle sports field
A place between sleeping and waking A feeling between giving and taking An inability to speak up, or worse, an indifference A meagerness of feeling unvalued and unimportant A clarity of mind A place we all want to find A power that makes words all the more meaningful A thing before the beginning and after the end An essence of existence outside time and space That’s what you’ll find in a silent place
I see you and I think You’re not beautiful
Not beautiful because of how you look Not beautiful because I or anyone else says so Not beautiful because of your body Not beautiful because of what you wear Not beautiful because you have money Not beautiful because people like you Not beautiful because you’re smart Not beautiful because of where you’re from
You’re beautiful because you’re one in eight billion And you might be thinking But I’m only one in eight billion, There are probably thousands of people just like me
And there are There are thousands of people just like you
But they’re not you You are you
And you are beautiful
Las estrellas no solamente son luces en el cielo Las estrellas son luces en nuestros corazones Las estrellas son los sueños de nuestros antepasados
Para cada sueña que nace Un punto nuevo de luz aparece
Yo sé que en realidad son esferas del fuego muy lejos Pero no vamos a conocer una durante nuestras vidas
Entonces podemos permitir que viven en nuestras mentes Como algo espectacular, algo que crear la esperanza e inspirar el espíritu
Demasiado nosotros dicen que la noche es negra Solamente vemos lo que está en frente de nosotros y no miramos para arriba
Tal vez, cada uno de nosotros deberíamos ser como estrellas Y ser un poco de luz en un cielo oscuro
If wishes fell like rain Then certainly I was a storm
I gave you what you wanted And kept your heart warm
I thundered with affection And washed your insecurities away
Only when I rained Did you tell me you felt okay
I would have rained forever If I were more than just a cloud
I would be holding you tight And thundering loud
But a tempest is a thing That needs wind to abide
My dear, you made a downpour And hurt me deep inside
“Petrichor.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the smell you’re describing—petrichor.”
Cecil blinked. “I didn’t know there was a word for it. That’s such a specific scent.”
“I get curious about random things sometimes, so one day when it had that damp smell I wanted to describe it better and I looked up some rainy day words and found the word petrichor.”
James smiled silently. He wasn’t sure if his friends appreciated Joanna’s sporadic knowledge, but he found it to be quite charming. Truthfully, he thought to himself, if Cecil and Will weren’t here, he and Joanna would be going back and forth right now, exchanging words with unique meanings. He would tell her that once they got to the café they’d finally have some chrysalism—the feeling of protected peacefulness from being inside during a thunderstorm. She’d probably respond by commenting that the city streets had a sense of kenopsia about them today—the forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now eerily quiet. They’d go on until the conversation drifted to their shared love of rainy days and he’d—
“—don’t you?” Cecil asked, looking at James.
“Huh? Sorry, I was lost in the thought of—“
“—how much he loves rainy days,” Joanna finished his sentence.
Cecil noticed they shared a look, but repeated their question. “You always drink your tea without any sweetener, don’t you James?”
“Yeah. Not all of us can drink sugar with a splash of tea like you,” James teased.
“Hey, there’s no such thing as _too_ sweet.”
Will nodded. “Which is why I’ll be dipping my cinnamon roll in my hot cocoa,” he declared.
James feigned a gag as he reached to open the bakery door. His fake expression quickly melted away as he was hit with the sweet aromas of baking pastries and brewing coffee. He smiled again as the door gently closed behind Will, sealing them off from the pitter-patter of rain droplets bouncing off the concrete sidewalk and rippling in the curbside puddles. The damp gray air was replaced with a comforting warmth, the mellow chatter of others seeking refuge from the rain, and the clinking of coffee cups.
Joanna stepped forward to place her order. “Can I get one cardamom scone and one sour cream scone with lox please?”
Cecil and Will turned to James in disbelief. James tried to hold back his laughter, but it burst out loudly, confusing Joanna and the barista.
“What’s wrong with scones?” Joanna asked, unsure whether to be embarrassed or annoyed.
It was the three friends’ tradition to try out Freshly Ground’s weekly scone flavors whenever there was a rainy day. James had bet Cecil and Will that he knew Joanna so well, he could predict that she would get two of the three new scone flavors. With the idea that Joanna, never having been to their favorite spot, wouldn’t even think to look at the specials chalkboard on the sidewall, the two friends took the bet.
“Nothing’s wrong with scones,” James grinned. “In fact, you just got me a free lunch.”
Today, I’m a blanket.
Feeling spread thin.
There are so many people stumbling around beneath me, I don’t know where to begin.
It’s a rather foggy existence— Living as a cloud.
So today I’m feeling gloomy and giving this place a shroud.
It’s not that I don’t like them, the people in this place. I’m just often disappointed when I meet them face-to-face. I know they’re just people, the same as you and me. But I want to meet people who make me feel alive. And free.
That’s a lot to ask. After all, we’re just people. Just primates that evolved to rule our space rock. But don’t we all want the same things? To love and be loved? To have amazing experiences in amazing places with amazing people? To make a difference on this planet, on our society, before we’re gone?
Of course.
But (and there’s always a but) that doesn’t make it any easier. Everyone on this planet needs—doesn’t want—needs access to food, water, and shelter. But does everyone get them? .
Ask yourself the following in the order they’re written:
Do you have access to safe food, water, and shelter?
Have you had all of the exhilarating and fulfilling experiences and formed all of the meaningful relationships you could possibly want?
Are you ok with that? You are ok with that.
Because you are incredible.
To be clear: that was not a question. If you’re asking yourself the second question, if you’re considering those things, that’s enough. That’s enough to be incredible. That’s enough to be human.
You will never be able to answer “yes” to the second question. So the third question isn’t a question at all. It’s a fact of life.
But I think I’ve come to realize it’s ok to be a cloud. It’s ok to ask the third question even though you’re not allowed. It might get you feeling foggy and make you want to drift away. It might make you feel despondent, like I’m feeling today.
Clouds are simply weather like the temperature today. So I’ll keep asking that third question while the wind blows me away.