"Make-Up"

How Funny It Is To Observe
All Of Us Young Ladies
In The Ladies Room
Painting Our Faces
Outlining Our Eyes With Black Lines
Brushing Our Cheeks to a Rosy Red
Coloring Our Lips To A Glossy Sparkle
All Three Of Us Together
Looking At Ourselves Reflected In The Mirror
In A Unified Movement Of Changing What We Are

Were We Becoming Something More?
Or Moving Away From What We Are?

Does Not The Very Phrase, "Make-Up" Tell Us Something?
If It Is Made Up, Then Are We Not Making Something Up?
If It Is Made Up, Then Is It Real?
Are We Not Creating Something Make Believe?

So, Then There Is This Question
Are Not Each One of Us Putting Our Own Make-Up On In Life?
Trying To Add And Enhance And Color Our Lives?
Always Trying To Look Good?
Trying To Outshine The Other With Our Lipstick Or Lipservice?
And Attempting To Capture Perfection?

Yet In The Very Moment Of Putting It On
Is There Even A Problem?
If You See That Your Make-Up Is No Different Than Mine?

~Mita

"Dream for Peace"

Truth Is Soft
It Can Be Gentle
It Takes Silence
To Allow You To Feel It

Do You Listen
Or Just Throw It All Away?
Are You Too Busy Proving Your Point
That You Callously Fail To See
The Presence And The Sincerity
Of The Link That Is The Bridge
That Breaks Down The Wall
Between You And Me?

How Many More Battles Need We Wage?
From One Land to Another?
Between One Faith And Another?
From One Language To Another?
Until You Realize
That You Are Fighting With Your Own Brother?

When Will We Be Conflict-Free?
When Can Mankind Have A History of Peace?
How Much More Clearly Can Violence Speak
And Tell You
Its Guns and Warheads Are Weak?

Is It Through The Destruction Of Lives, Limbs, And Family Trees
That Will Make It Plain For You To See
That Conflict Is Destroying Humanity?

"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

Is Something Wrong With Me
If I Don't Own An I-Phone
Or Constantly Download An I-Tune
Or Prefer Typing To Touchscreens
And Find IPads And Twittering Annoying?

Is Something Wrong With Me
If I'm Not Always Looking Down
To Find A Text Message Or Wonder
How Many Facebook Friends Do I Have Now?

Is Something Wrong With Me
Because I Can Take A Week Off From Work
When I Feel Like Seeing My Family?

And Is Something Really Wrong With ME

If You Are Not Looking At What You Are Becoming
And Not Examining What It Is You Call 'Living'?

Does It Really Matter To Your Life
If You Get Your Latte From Starbucks
One Minute Later Than You Like?
And When Someone Asks You How Are You?
Do You Really Tell Them The Truth?

Do You Realize That You Will Be Old One Day Too
And Do You Want The Young People Then To Be Just Like You?

Is It So Difficult To Have A Phone Conversation Today
With Someone You Love Who Will Be Gone One Day?

Does Bitterness Still Live In Your Heart?
Or Is It That Your Love is Reserved Only For The Few?
Are There Battles You Feel Entitled to Win?
And Does Your Blood Still Boil Within?

So, What Will It Take
For You To Awake
And Realize Today

That Inside The Friendship Between You And Me
Lies The Salvation Of Humanity

~Mita

"April Showers"

Amidst The Dark Storm
I Must Make It Through

A Cloud Looms Over
Like A Somber Gloom
Blowing Smoke In
Hues Of Gray And Blue

My Sweat And My Tears
My Blood Is Shed For You
And The Thankless Days
Are Numbered Too
A Cry of Help Is Met
With The Silence Of A Black Night

A Shout For Justice
Is Ironically Turned To Injustice Against You
When An Innocent Child
Who Only Wanted To Love
And Be Loved
Is Shunned
And The Cold Wind
And Rumbles Of Thunder
Sustain A Harsh World
That Could Never Understand
The Wonders Of A Simple Hug

~M.P.

"Stop!"

What Would Happen If You Just Stopped All Of The Trying?
Could You Dare to Just Sit Down?
And Be Alone With A Blank Mind,
Even If You Are Silently Criticized.

Is It Such A Bad Thing To Not Always Have An Answer
A Ready-Made Known Reply,
Or Someone To Constantly Report To,
Who Always Asks You Why?

Is This The Life Of Freedom?
The Life You Claim You Happily Lead?
Just Ask Yourself This Question
Don't Bother Telling Me.

~Mita

"Grace"

Beneath Your Makeup
And Your Fashionable Clothes
Behind The Tears
And The Scars Of Every Yesterday You Hold
Underneath Your Perfectly Painted Nails And Toes

And Every A+
And College And Graduate Degree You Own
From Every Job You Ever Had
And All Of The Titles You Earned That Gave Pride To Your Dad

In Every Breath
Between the Cigarette You Smoke
Lies The Hurts And Fears
That Buries And Blocks Your Soul
This Is The Mask That We All Mold
To Wear To The World That Tells Us "No"

Yet When You Strip Away The Layers Of Every Insult You Were Told
And You Question It
You Loosen Its Hold
When You Take It All Apart
And You Uncover Your Heart
You Find A Core That Cannot Be Broken
You Find A Self That Is In Control
And You Discover That Grace Is Who You Are
Pure And Whole.

~Mita