Stories for the Heart

Sharing two of my favorite poems and an excerpt from Paolo Coelho.

Poem by Mitsuo Aida

Because it has lived its life intensely


the parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by,


The flowers merely flower,


and they do this as well as they can.




The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,


Does not need to explain itself to anyone;


It lives merely for beauty.


Men, however, cannot accept that 'merely'




If tomatoes wanted to be melons,


they would look completely ridiculous.


I am always amazed


that so many people are concerned


with wanting to be what they are not;


what's the point of making yourself look ridiculous?




You don't always have to pretend to be strong,


there's no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,


you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking,


cry if you need to,


it's good to cry out all your tears


(because only then will you be able to smile again).

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From Lord George Gordon Byron

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow -
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me -
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well: -
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met -
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee? -
With silence and tears.

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(Text: Source:
Paulo Coelho writes in Author's Note of the story "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept")

Traditional religious practices are important: they allow us to share with others the communal experience of adoration and prayer. But we must never forget that spiritual experience is above all a practical experience of love. And with love, there are no rules. Some may try to control their emotions and develop strategies for their behavior; others may turn to reading books of advice from "experts" on relationships---but this ia all folly. The heart decides, and what it decides is all that really matters.

All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said through our tears, "I'm suffering for a love that's not worth it." We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we recieve. We suffer because our loe is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules.

But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth. The more we love, the closer we come tto spiritual experience. Those who are truly enlightened, those whose souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all of the inhibitions and preconceptions of ther era. They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud; they have danced and shared what Saint Paul called "the madness of santliness." They have been joyful---because those who love conquer the world and have no fear of loss. True love is an act of total surrender.