b18 (4.20-1.2003): that's life

that’s life [1]
 
we sat around the table
we played the game called “life”
at times a bit unstable
with times of stress and strife
 
we drove the cars and bought the houses, raised the families
we played the game called “life” with times of joy and dis-of-ease
 
            in “life” you could go backwards, with one bad roll of dice
            in “life” you could get angry or go bankrupt or have vice
            in “life” you might just marry and you just might get divorced

in “life” you could resent or brood or laugh or cry (of course)

 
but once the game was over
we didn’t hold a grudge
the cards that we had drawn in “life,” well…didn’t mean that much
 
and once the game was over
we knew it was a game
a make-believe illusion: (in the end, it’s all the Same)

---

[1] martino, j. (4.20-1.2003). that’s life. book 18: ex-thinked. © 2003 by joal martino. 

 

artwork by joal.

b18 (4.16-3.2003): last day

last day [1]

if this was my last day

i don’t know what i’d do

i’d pick up telephone

i’d make a call to you

i’d breathe a little air

i’d take a walk outside

i’d make love (if i had the chance) 

if i was gonna die

 

if this was my last day

i know just what i’d do

i wouldn’t go to work

i wouldn’t read the news

i wouldn’t worry about half the things now on my mind

 

if this was my last day

my Source is what i’d find

______________________

[1] martino, j. (4.16-3.2003). last day. book 18: ex-thinked. © 2003 by joal martino.

* inspired by process 32: “make a friend of death.” by ryan and travis (2001), in Simply Well. 

* artwork by mel marquis. 

b17 (3.7-1.2003): no place like Ommmm

no place like Ommmm  [1]
by ima now-here

it’s time to click my heels

it’s like “i should have known”
it’s all part of the deal
there is no place like Ommmm

 
i’m really very grateful
i smile, and now, i sigh
i’m just about to say “hello”
and now i say “goodbye” 
 
there’s no time like the present
there’s no where left to roam
there’s no way that i ever left
there is no place like Ommmm*

---

[1] martino, j. (3.7-1.2003). no place like Ommmm. book 17: no place like Ommm. © 2003 by wellnesseducation.us & j. martino. 

* and (Now) i've come and gone.

b16 (2.28-2.2003): one, little grain

one little grain [1]

by a. g. rain

one little grain
alone in the Sand
one little grain
i don’t understand

one little grain
it’s so hard to see
i don’t understand
that I Am the Beach

__________________________  

· the only way that the grain Is the beach is via connection and Unification.

· it’s hard to See “Oneness” …from the perspective of the grain. the “sense of separate self” sees separateness. the grain would have a hard time seeing itself as “dune,” never mind “Beach.”

· the only way that Beach can describe itself, however, is by understanding it’s particularized parts.

· Beach, when answering the question: “Who Am I?” subdivides and (apparently) separates into stretches, dunes, and grains of sand. each grain could be (further) subdivided into molecules, atoms, sub-atomic particles, and so on…

· …but Beach Is Beach, and Beach consists of apparent separateness while be-ing Whole. from Beach-Perspective, It Is All One. separate grains are, in a sense, an illusion, because the Beach never “becomes” less than the Beach.

· the illusion of separation is not “subtraction.” it is the illusion of division.

(yes, sometimes life is a beach)
____________________________
[1] martino, j. (2.28-2.2003). one little grain. book 16: baklavahhh. copyright 2003 by joal martino.

* inspired by a walk on the beach in destin, florida.

b16 (2.28-1.2003): answering the paradoxical question

answering the paradoxical question [1]

 
question: if God can do anything, can he create a rock so big that he cannot pick it up?
 
answer: God (the Is, G∞d) creates and expands.  a manifestation of this expansion is the illusory, material, dual plane of existence.  the material projections (ego) are finite, unreal, and limited.
 

each is also part of the Whole.

 
“God” can create a projection scenario in which a material aspect of Godself (man) cannot pick up another material aspect of Godself (rock).
 
but, in Reality… the rock does not exist, nor does the physical body.
 
God Is.  man Is.  the rock Is. 
 
the created projection can be Seen as both movable and immovable, based upon one’s perception.
 
a better question might be: can God answer a question that is negatively motivated, and asked by a fearful, insecure, wise-guy -- without getting frustrated?
 
parable: there once was a rock so big that no one could move it.  the men of the village called upon a boy with special powers – one who could give the blind man sight and heal the lame.  when the boy was brought to the rock, and when he was asked to move it, he replied: 

this rock may be displaced, or it may stay here indefinitely.  

but “up” does not exist, and movement does not not exist.  

the rock is already moving.  “up” is relative.

 

the thing that needs to be picked-up is your energy projection.  

you live in a world full of wonderous variety, infinite abundance, and unlimited joy – 

yet you spend your energy in negative attempts to discount the obvious.

 

your fear has made you miserable and apparently unloved, 

but you are not your projection of negativity.  

you are not he who attempts to trip your brother.  

you are also a projection of God, a wonder of life, a man who is searching for answers.

 

go now and dedicate your life to Seeing beauty, instead of criticism.  

sing songs of Joy, instead of reciting words of cynicism.  

you will surely find that the path of Laughter is bountiful, the path of Unity is Peaceful, and 

the path of Togetherness will satisfy your inner thirst for Love.   

 

---

[1] martino, j. (2.28-1.2003). answering the paradoxical question. book 16: baklavahhh.  copyright 2003 by joal martino. 

-Inspired by being down. 

b16 (2.8-4.2003): baklavahhhhhh!

baklavahhhh! [1]

                                                          
a multitude of layers
a smooth, uneven, fit
a party for the taste-buds
can’t get enough of this
 
it’s sweet and sometimes nutty
it’s honey and it’s crust
it is a living paradox, so take a bite (you must)
 
okay (it’s sometimes sticky)
okay, it (sometimes) flakes
okay (it seems imperfect), but here comes my final take:
 
the secret’s in the process
a co-creation (aaahhhhhh!)
a multitude of layers
a life of baklava
____________________________ 
 

• inspired by Ram Das, who, during a lecture in tallahassee on february 5, 2003, said something like: “life is like baklava.” 

• kind of makes you want to take a little bite out of life, doesn’t it?                   

* life wouldn’t taste as great (if we left out all of the nuts).

---

[1] martino, j. (2.8-4.2003). baklavahhhhh! book 16: baklavahhhhh. © 2007 by joal martino. 

[2] image from wikepedia.

b16 (2.3-4.2003): quiet little candle

quiet little candle [1]


quiet little candle
    small bouquet of flowers
        simple little vigil
            memories of ours
                lives no longer living
                    sadness in your eyes
                        lonely little children

                     no time for goodbyes

 _______________________________ 

• it seems as though, every time you pick up a paper or watch the news, there is another vigil, another tragedy, another altar of candles and roses. 

• another symbol of our mortality, our “finite-ness,” and our limited little journey toward the infinite and unlimited.

---

[1] martino, j. (2.3-4.2003). quiet little candle. book 16: baklavahhh. © 2007 by joal martino. 

b15 (1/15/2003): Ever-lution

Ever-lution [i]
by no-i-to-love

Ever-lution… the infinite expansion outward,

combined with the infinite observation (inward)
_______________________

• interestingly enough, “missing the mark,” “sinning,” and “incarnation” are pathways toward “hitting the mark,” “aligning,” and returning to Love.

_______________________

[i] martino, j. (1.15-4.2003). Ever-lution. book 15: In-Joy. © by joal martino.

b15 (1/8/2003): dreaming is symbolic

dreaming is symbolic [i]
a. dre amer

 
you see the things you see
you feel the things you feel
it all seems like it’s happening
it all seems like it’s real
 
but here you are (asleep, again)
although awake (it seems)
it’s All One Big Illusion
it’s All, Here (in your Dreams)
 
 

• “life is but a dream”

________________________

martino, j. (1.8-1.2003). dreaming is symbolic. book 15: In-Joy. © by joal martino.

b14 (12.29-1.2002): double vision

double vision [1]
 
sometimes i’m a chameleon
one eye sees left, one right
sometimes i’m a chameleon
one eye sees day, one night
sometimes i’m a chameleon
i’m split apart (no fun)
sometimes i’m a chameleon
when i forget I’m One

---

[1] martino, j. (12-29.1-2002). book 14: one track mine-d. © 2007 by wellnesseducation.us 

b11 (9.1-5.2002): don't save the best for last

(don’t) save the best for last [1]
by nowi shoula known
 
“make sure you save the best for last”  (well, that’s what i was told)
but when i got to the last bite, well, something tasted cold!
i waited ‘till the final dance, until the final song
but when i got to my last chance, well, baby, you were gone!
 
well, it was a hard lesson (though quite far from my worst)
"when you get a shot you’d better take your best one first!"
 
 
____________________
 
[1] martineau, l. (9.1-5.2002). don’t save the best for last. book 11: relative expression. © 2002 by l. p. martineau, j. martino & wellnesseducation.us 

b9 (7.x-x.2002): nobody won

nobody won (draft) [1]

by n. o. body

 

and no one was separate

and damn, it was fun

and nobody lost because nobody won

 

we went to the game

and nobody won

no victory dance (with the celebration)

 

and “nobody won” was a G∞d thing (of Course)

because nobody won because nobody lost

 

and Everyone played on the Same Macro-tream

with Infinite talents and Infinite dreams

 

and no one was separate

incredible Fun

and nobody lost because nobody, One

 
 

---

[1] martino, j. (x.x-x.2002). nobody One. book 9: plenny of space. copyright 2024 by j. martino).

*unsure of the exact date written. 

Somebody's gone away

  Somebody's Gone Away
June 2^nd, 2002

 It’s June 2^nd, 2002.  It is exactly 4:40 a.m., and I’m driving from Destin to Tallahassee -- trying to make it to my Course in Miracles class at 9 a.m.  Route 20 is a single-lane, deserted, bayside roadway at this point.  There are no streetlights, and absolutely nobody else is on the road except one car -- approximately one-half of a mile ahead of me.  I’ve got my high-beams on, because it’s pitch-black, and I’ve seen many deer on this road at this time of the day/night.

My eye catches onto something, in the middle of the other side of the road, up ahead.  I slow down a bit, and, as I cruise by, I notice what looks like a garbage bag or suitcase or something.  Then… I see a smashed-in pick-up truck, in a ditch, on the other side of the road. 

As I passed by, it seemed as if the truck had been abandoned.  There were no lights on, there was no smoke, and no sign of action.  In addition, the car ahead of me hadn’t stopped, so I figured that the accident must have occurred many hours earlier, and the wrecker hadn’t yet removed the vehicle.  I was in the middle of the nowhere, so I could justify (in my mind) that a vehicle could be “left” like that.  It wouldn’t have been the first time that I’d seen something like that. 

I remember thinking “fatal” as I drove past.

But what was that “bag” in the road? Why did I see debris strewn about? 

Could this have just happened? No way!

Something deeeeep inside of me decided that I’d should stop, back-up, and check it out.  I have to admit this, however, I did not want to find… exactly what I found.

By the look of the truck, upright, in a ditch, about 30 yards away, there couldn’t have been any survivors.  The front end was crushed (like an accordion), and the hood was smashed up into the broken windshield.  The right-side of the vehicle was pretty banged-up, and I assumed that it had rolled at least once or twice. 

Former Pickup Truck

The day is June-the-second; the year: 2002

It’s 5 am; it’s dark, I’m driving home (and this is true)

I’m 10 miles out of Niceville, in a place they call “bad luck.” 

Yeah, off the road (they must have rolled), a former pickup truck

There is no light nor sound when I get out to check the scene

While just across the street: the bay (the water, so serene)

My heart is racing (past the luggage, clothing, and “Bud Light”)

As I prepare myself for this: a very morbid sight

I pointed my high-beams toward the truck, and my pulse was pounding as I got out of the car. I watched where I was stepping, because it was pitch-black, and the headlights made everything seem even spookier than it already was. There was no sound, no heat, and no movement coming from the truck. Again, part of me was still hoping that the ambulances, cops, etc. had already come and gone, and that they’d left the truck in the ditch ...

…but no, nooooo. no.

On the side of the road was a luggage bag, and then another. Stuff was everywhere, and I knew that if anyone had been here before me, they would have cleaned this up. I was the first one on the scene, and absolutely nobody was here but me! No cars, no neighbors, nobody to talk to, no light, no sounds. I thought that, maybe, well, maybe the driver was drunk, and maybe he ran away from the scene to avoid a DUI (I hoped). I was afraid to call out, afraid to find “body parts,” and afraid to look down into the ditch. I moved the bag from the middle of the road to the side embankment, and was about to go down into the darkness by the vehicle, when some headlights approached from the opposite direction. Thank God!

A guy got out of his car, and I told him we needed a flashlight. That’s when an emergency vehicle (a small jeep with a red-flashing light) approached. The guy from the car handed me his flashlight, and, without wanting to, I went down and looked into the truck. Inside was a young boy (maybe nineteen or so), strapped into the passenger’s side of the vehicle. 

He was still, alive, with blood all over his face, neck, and arms. He wasn’t moving. He looked at me with sad, empty eyes, which were rolled, halfway-up under his low eyelids. He was hurt bad, and in shock. I asked him if he was alright, and he didn’t even try to speak (just that spacey, glazed look). By now I knew that the driver must have been thrown-out, and must be close by.

Meanwhile, the jeep drove up on to an embankment, overlooking the ditch, and its searchlight revealed the body of the driver. From my perspective, the body immediately reminded me of one of my younger massage therapy students. He was face-down in the mud, with his arm up over his head, completely still. The EMT checked on him, and rolled him over to try to talk to him, but the boy remained motionless. My guess is that he was dead.

“Curtain Calls”

Hold your loved ones tight, savor every hug and kiss.

‘Cause (someday) “curtain calls” and that will be the end of this.

I checked-in on the boy in the truck again, and again he just gazed back, blank.  I said something like “Everything is going to be alright,” even though I knew that everything was going to be far, far, far from all right, for a long, long, long time.  At this point, another emergency specialist (this one in fireman’s gear) came up to the truck to check on the boy inside.  By now,  another car had stopped, and another vehicle with flashing lights was arriving. 

Still no noise. 

Was I in some kind of a-void?

I asked the emergency tech if there was anything I could do.  He said “Did anyone see the crash?”  I said “No.”  And then he said something like, “No, we’ll take it from here.”  As I slowly walked back to my car, I heard one man make the radio call for “the chopper.” 

I got in my car and slowly drove away, numb.  I’m still numb.

I hate to say this, but I am so glad that I didn’t walk down into the black ditch and find the driver.  I’m glad I had some distance from that.

Somebody’s Gone Away

Somebody’s gone away today

Somebody someone loved

Somebody’s gone away (he’s better off, now, up above)

Somebody left behind a friend, but (maybe) not for long

Somebody’s gone away,

Somebody sing somebody’s song

I drove back toward Tallahassee, and all I could think of was the vulnerability of the human body, the immediacy of an automobile wreck, the ramifications of driving after drinking, and the frailty of this thing we call “life.” Any of us can transition at any time.

What next?

My momma doesn’t know it (yet)

My daddy, still asleep

My girlfriend won’t believe it (that’s the last she’ll see of me)

My sister’s gonna cry, each time she walks on by (my room)

My body’s in a ditch, and now my life is over, soon

I look down at the wreckage and it is a sorry sight

Luggage, clothes and sunglasses (and cans that say “Bud Light”)

Why did I try to drive, why did I try to get back home?

Why am I floating upward?

Why am I all alone?

I see Paul in the truck, he’s still strapped in, he’s not dead (yet)

I’ll see him at my funeral (he’ll shed a tear, I bet)

I’m way above the water now, the crash-scene just a speck

I feel so light and free, I’m going up (okay, what next?)

The whole situation re-Mind-ed me about my family, about the woman that I love, about children, about loss. I thought about this guy’s family and friends. I recited the “Child of Light” prayer, out loud, for each of those boys.

I managed to make it to my Course in Miracles class by 8:50 am, and talked with Reverend Bill Williams about my experience before class. I was still “shaken-up,” to say the least. Bill was, as usual, profound and calming.

It is now 11:21, and it has been a long day. It can only get better.

I Know HE IS ok

i saw death today

I know he is ok

i hope he is ok

i think he is ok

i believe he is ok

i doubt myself… (what do i really think/know/feel?)

i know he is ok

i know he is ok

I know he is ok

I know it is All ok

i’d like to think that it is all going to be ok

i (intellectually) know it is all ok

-------

i felt death today

it did not “feel” good, nor did it “feel” ok

i know that his Spirit is ok

I know that “Spirit” is ok

i feel a lot of material-world, “not-ok-ness” right now

I Know HE IS ok.

We have all heard this a zillion times, but maybe a zillion-and-one ain’t bad:

Love for today, live for today. 

Give love today. 

Show it, say it, do it. 

Be it. 

Today could be your/their last, or (at least) the last in this lifetime.
Hug your loved ones and tell them that you love them.
Love yourself, and take care of yourself and others.

Say “I Love You” today.

Thank you for allowing me to express myself and maybe heal some of this.

Love, Lenny 

b7 (5.31-1.2002): box lunch

box lunch

by afternoon d. elight

you told me you’d be coming and that you like me a bunch
you told me not to eat because you’re bringing a box lunch
you say it might be breasts (today), or maybe even thigh
you say it’s hot, you say it’s sweet, you say that i won’t mind

you say that you’ll be wearing a short skirt and skimpy blouse
you say your appetite is wet before you're in the house
you’ll call-in late for work, again (at least that is my hunch)
you are the perfect date when you are bringing me box lunch

_______________________________ 

martino, j., modified from (5.31-1.2002). box lunch. book 7: Plenitude. © 2002 by joal martino.

b4 (4.1-1.2002): "____"

“____” [1]
 
english has a magic word that erases the past
i’d like to share it with you (but you’d fall for it too fast)
 
you see, i really like you (but this message is sublime)
this word’s for you, but it’s a little bit before its time
 
i’d use it in a sentence, but then you would surely guess
you’re qualified (but there’s a little something to confess)
 
the words that come before this word have little meaning, but
i could keep this a secret (but i think i’ve said too much)
 
so, listen up, you’ll hear it (but you won’t be listening)
they want you to be free but then they spank you when you sing
 
so, guess me if you can, but please don’t get into a rut
i’m here to help, but suit yourself, this case is open/shut
 
but this is gonna hurt me a lot more than it hurts you
but i’m trying to be serious, but i very seldom do

____________________________________

[1] martino, j. (2002). "___". book iv: plenny more. copyright 2002 by j. martino. 

b1 (11.14-x.2001): my karma ran over your dogma

my karma ran over your dogma
 
(read in limerick)
 
my soft-ball team was quite Connected, and they gave Unconditional glove
but it wasn’t enough, didn’t have the right stuff, and we needed some help from Above
 
we should never have played on the Sabbath, and our outfield gave up any hope
we lost by fourteen, not a creative dream, so i counseled our bat-girl to cope
 
her jeans appeared very holistic, and her shoes – they had plenty of Soul
and as her hips swang (with a ying and a yang), i nearly lost all my control
 
so i went to the local bartender, who served up some Spirits and said
what’s happening joe? looks like you’ve seen a ghost, but i’d bet that it’s all in your head
 
i left feeling All-One with Creation, yet i longed to share personal space
met a gal on the street, wasn’t very discreet, and wound up with a slap on the face
 
i rode my uni-psyche to see Faith, but she didn’t show much gratitude
she wasn’t that mild (with my inner child) and she ended up being quite rude 
 
then my karma ran over your dogma, so what in carnation is that?
if it had thought twice, because of nine lives, it should have run over your cat!
 
now i’m trying to figure the meaning, or maybe my purpose in life
i’m gasping for air, and i don’t have a prayer, as you chase me around with a knife
 
as i trip over one of your presence, and my head hits the floor (it’s just fate)
intuition says “son -- i think your life is done” (and after today i can’t wait)
 
now my essence is over my body, and everything feels kind of warm
and i must confess, with increased consciousness, your house seems to’ve been hit by a storm!
 
and i’m being sucked up through a tunnel, surrounded by music and Light
can’t believe what i’m seeing, these extravagant beings, but something just isn’t quite right
 
i’m guitar at an infinite concert, but i’m not being played very well
and Heaven it’s not, as they play acid rock (i’m thinking that this could be hell…)
 
______________________________

j. martino  11-13-01
(inspired by the webpage www.beyondananda.com)
i’m going to see the swami on wednesday evening (11/14/01)  

* written prior to the concept of 'books', but this ends-up being in book 1: plenny enough for al... back in those days (before thoetry), the poems were quite long, indeed.

* it's All G∞d!

 definition:

G∞d (spelled "Capital G - infinity symbol - d"); ..pronounced "gahh-ood":

Infinite Good. ..Complete, Whole, Absolute, All-Ways Good. ..Unconditionally Good.
Love; ..One; ..the All; ..the Is; ..Omni; ..Macro. ..Absolute Good..

mmmm, mmmm, Good.

antonym: fear. ..an (apparent) movement away from G∞d (which, of Course, is i'mpossible).
i'mpossible (of Course) is the false sense of separate self, which has been defined as ego.

when e = energy, e-go = "energy, on the go" (or "the material world").

deduction: fear, ego, separation, split-mind, etc. isn't the "opposite" of G∞d, but rather the mind-body manifestation of G∞d, which means that:

It's All G∞d!

* from the book "Spiritual Play" by j. martino (2001). copyright 2003: wellnesseducation.us (unpublished).

* linked here to my world is All-Ways G∞d: https://joalmartino.blogspot.com/2025/08/b127-81-22025-my-world-is-all-ways-gd.html

* all i can do...

...is write about it:

 

* you are Here for a reason

 i tried to get it to post on november 6, 1958... but the system would not allow it.

so... in any event,

on november 6, 1958, at (maybe)
1:10 am...

you Be-Came Here, 

for a reason.