GOD WHISPERS ON THE WIND

Dave Ursillo Jr. was born in 1986 to Jane and David. He has considered himself to be a writer since penning his first Op-Ed for his Rhode Island high school’s student newspaper. After fruitless endeavors to attain superpowers in youth, for eight years he built a rickety home in the world of politics and public service—before a heart-swelled storm razed it to the ground. Dave has written over 200 essays on DaveUrsillo.com, and published his debut nonfiction book Lead Without Followers in 2011. God Whispers on the Wind is his first explorative journey into poetry. Afflicted with sporadic wanderlust, Dave finds himself a resident of New York City’s East Village. He considers himself to be a student of life, a beneficiary of the faces of strangers on the street and a lover of mystical poets of old. Dave plans to write a few dozen books, globe-trot, speak, and share smiles with one million faces.

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God Whispers on the Wind Spiritual Poems of Light, Laughter and Love

By

DAVE URSILLO JR.

FEATURING

Brit Hanson, Willie Jackson, Ellie Di Julio, Tess Marshall, Hung Pham, Syndee Stein and Jeanie Witcraft

UNLEADER STUDIOS, LTD.

Copyright © 2012 by Dave Ursillo Jr. All rights reserved. This book, or portions thereof, may not be reproduced without permission from the

author.

All contributions remain property of their respective authors.

Published exclusively for Amazon Kindle. First Edition. July 2012.

Dave Ursillo Jr.

www.daveursillo.com

ASIN B008PFX6M6

Cover photo by Martina Braun

God, what love-mischief can “We” do

for the world today?

— HAFIZ

Contents Preface About These Poems God Whispers on the Wind

One / GOD WHISPERS

God Whispers Splash Me The Storms You Stumble Upon Empty Your Bowl Drip You’re Not Here On Good Days You’re So Happy You Do Something

Tragic Let’s Smile Those Daring Cattle A Beautiful Mess Dull Razors Divine Logic This Is Happening by Syndee Stein Know Nothing But Love

Origins Clay Fears Not The Sun Submission Leap Blink Water by Hung Pham She Always Comes Back

Two / UNHOLY

Unholy Why Eat? Demands What a Tragedy Your Gentle Fire Find Love My Bowl Is Empty Clasped In Prayer Sometimes I See Dancing For One by

Ellie Di Julio A Curious Age My Liar’s Mind Your Empathy Hide and Seek Style Points The Lines We Draw Never Dreamed by Jeanie Witcraft Bridges

Dear Sir Poor Ghosts I Only Pray

Three / AMONGST THE MAZE

Amongst The Maze White Suit A Petty Slave Alarm Scary-Honest Hour Glass Under Everyone’s Radar Purpose Is A Feel Beyond the Boundaries by Willie Jackson Any Good Friend From The Hand I Should Admit A Street Crazy The Symphony Learning Curve Inside Scoop by Brit Hanson I Fear

A Little Kindness The Delicate Game A New Chance Name-Calling

Four / MY GARDEN

My Garden A Bird Swoops Embarrassingly Apparent This Damp Black Pile What the World Needs Now by Tess Marshall Another Divine Riddle The

Immortal Opponent Your Mind’s Keeper Holds Words Like These Find Comedy I’m Doing My Best Three Happy Bloodhounds Connectivity Sometimes I

Dream Petulant Itch This Salty Breeze Conversation Starters Activity Guide Journal Prompts Connect & Get Involved About the Author Excerpt: Lead Without Followers

Preface

When we can reach out and touch the common threads that are quietly spun

between different, even seemingly contradictory human spiritualities, we begin to attain

a far more enriched and empowered understanding of humanity, itself—and, even a

deeper understanding of ourselves, personally. God Whispers on the Wind is a simple

collection of 81 spiritual poems that hopes to gently encourage a greater awareness for

those common threads: the perpetual and binding human qualities of love, happiness,

purposeful living and shared experience that make us so exceptionally unique as

spiritual beings.

As such, the spiritual nature of these poems is intended to invite and encourage;

neither to convince nor persuade. Each verse is open to your own interpretation. You

may enjoy reading God Whispers on the Wind to complement, reinforce or even

challenge your preexisting religious beliefs. You may instead take these poems at face

value: as nice, little verses. Or, you may yet read them seeking to discover a depth of

feeling and oneness within your own heart, body and mind. This inner connection, this

wholesome unity, I believe, is no different than our connection and oneness with what

we call God.

I believe that spirituality deserves to be raw, real, and wildly unrefined. I am

certainly biased though, being a bit of a spiritual mutt, myself. Raised under the Roman

Catholic faith, today I don’t much associate with any institutional religion. I attended a

Jesuit college and am tattooed with a Buddhist mantra in Sanskrit. I pray to a “Father”

in my head and keep a little jade Buddha nearby always. I stack stones and comb sand

gardens. I “Ohm” on a forest green rubber mat and rub mala beads. I thank Saraswati

for a burst of creative genius, I laugh with Sufi poets, I hope to share tea one day with

the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. I feel empowered by this rounded reverence for human

spirituality. Of course, you certainly needn’t abandon institutional religion or a singular

faith to explore such a depth of love for others—no matter what labels we assign them,

or ourselves.

Unfortunately, closed-minds tend to believe that one’s inability (or, one’s outright

refusal) to confine spiritual beliefs into a neat little box is indicative of one’s own

weakness; as if the validity of your personal beliefs is dependent upon your ability to

constrain, restrict, and define it in so many words. What a shame! Imagine discussions

on God swirling with openness and laughter, fun and kindness. My hope is that God

Whispers on the Wind might bring you to consider God in this friendly, playful light.

While reading God Whispers on the Wind, please feel invited to alter any

terminology—hell, even the passages themselves—as you see fit. These poems are

intended to invite your own creative, open and loving interpretation. I hope they might

invite you to feel more connected to Spirit, God, the Universe, or whichever term best

suits your own personal preference.

In the end, I have no expectations or goals with this work, but I am happy, grateful

and honored to share it with you. I certainly do hope that you enjoy it. And, whatever

you believe, I hope that God Whispers on the Wind serves as a gentle reminder that we

are forever connected to a couple of important things: to the ether, and to one another.

With heart from New York City,

Dave Ursillo July 2012

About These Poems

The majority of these poems were written with no intention of ever being shared.

While that’s certainly not a ringing endorsement for the collection you’re about to read,

the truth is that this collection came to fruition in a very organic and authentic fashion:

without grandiose expectation; neither from a twisted, over-marketed perspective nor

with contrived goals from its inception. It, like most of my writing, began as a simple

exploration—a journey into a unique style, a liberating medium, and as a simple and fun

writing endeavor.

Over recent months, I found myself deeply drawn into the beautiful works of poets

like Hafiz, Rumi, Rabia of Basra, Kabir and many others—with almost exclusive thanks

to the great translator, a true literary force of nature, Daniel Ladinsky. I do not know

Daniel but revere this best-selling author’s free-thinking mentality, especially as a fellow

writer and spiritual explorer. Even the introductions to his popular translations prove

him to be a most prolific poet, himself. His translations (The Gift, Love Poems from

God, etc.) became my primary inspiration to write more poetry. Any familiar with his

works will find his brilliant poetic stylings to have truly influenced mine. Thus, in just

the last few months the genesis of this poetry began to gather significant momentum.

Poems exploded from my pen at an incredible pace. And in an effort to both keep true to

my own writing nature, as well as openly share this work with others who may enjoy it, I

decided to publish God Whispers on the Wind.

As a nonfiction writer, an essayist really, I quite fell in love with this medium and the

depth of its expressiveness. In God Whispers on the Wind, you’ll find poems that

celebrate an open and playful nature (“Three Happy Bloodhounds”, “From the Hand”),

take pleasure in lightly cursing (“This Damp Pile”), and even politely venting at the

order of things (“Dear Sir”, “What a Tragedy”). Naturally, that poetry is self-expressive

entails that many embody a personal narrative (“Submission”, “My Liar’s Mind”), touch

upon some love stories of old (“A Bird Swoops”), and other private thoughts (“Bridges”).

My hope is that you see these less as personal narration and more as a story-vehicle

through which you might see a new depth of yourself, your life, your dreams.

I also invited friends across the globe to contribute their own poems to God

Whispers on the Wind with hopes of giving this spiritual exploration a true communal

feel. Seven excellent contributors are included in this debut collection. Their works

touch upon realizing God in nature (“Water”), the power of momentous presence (“This

is Happening”), and a lover’s awakening (“Never Dreamed”).

And, finally, at the end of this book I’ve included some bonus materials for your

enjoyment. They include conversation starters about spirituality, which are ideal for a

book club or if even for your own personal consideration; a short list of activities to

more deeply explore your spirituality; three weeks’ worth of journal prompts to explore

and practice one’s spirituality through a private, written medium. Lastly, there’s a call to

action on how to share God Whispers on the Wind with friends, information on how to

contact me personally, and even details on submitting your own poems for possible

inclusion in a second edition or subsequent collection.

As I write in everything I have ever and will ever publish, in the end, this book is not

about me, my story or my beliefs. I believe that writing is one of the most powerful,

engaging and inviting means of human communication. Writing has not only been my

savior in helping me to explore and understand this world, but it holds a majestic ability

to transform thoughts without discrimination; to break down locked doors of the mind

with lyricism and beauty; to incite a loving revolution of the heart. In me, in these

words, I hope you find yourself. The more that we can, as a civilization, accomplish this

simple feat, the farther we will go in achieving all of the monumental tasks set before us.

GOD WHISPERS ON THE WIND

ONE

GOD WHISPERS

Taste the air so dewy sweet, glazed with subtle scents of raw earth

and sun-crisped leaf.

Have you ever heard The Wind gather its breath from countless miles away?

Your song lives like this breeze.

This wind, she carries prayers on her noble back

for eons and ages, to and from the source from which Every Thing derives.

Listen closely!

What do you hear upon this wind; our world’s One Whisper?

I hear Divine Tongues!

Wild, billowing blessings; raw gusts, that rambunctious rejuvenation.

How strong and steady her roar!

Oh, dear friend, of the little I know, one thing seems certain:

God whispers on the wind.

SPLASH ME

I am but a puddle, God; splash me where you may.

I give my life to you in

this Silk Pocket that I’ve knit.

Sprinkle the crumbs of my silvery soul

upon the path, any path, that You see fit!

I give you my hands, God; the ones You chiseled from the stars.

Take them, Dear Friend,

and with them may you write songs that make whole suns burn

like a million wondrous smiles!

Oh, I’ll give you my heart, too,

Dear Maker, since it has been Yours from the start:

Pull its chords as you will so that my love might be

a bit more like Yours.

I am but a puddle, God. Splash me where you may.

THE STORMS YOU STUMBLE UPON

Weather will find you. That’s just nature.

But when you find a question

that’s truly worth asking, it’s you who finds the weather.

These are the storms you stumble upon.

Restless wonder, yearning for more,

your soul struggling to escape from your own skin...

When you feel those symptoms,

that is your Soulful Forecast from God that says,

“Make sure to bring

your umbrella.”

EMPTY YOUR BOWL

Empty your bowl of expectation and assumption.

Throw your food from it

and onto the ground.

Rinse that bowl in honest tears and let it bake dry

in some open sunlight.

Yes, friend, only when your bowl

is totally empty may it hold all of the Love and Light

that you truly desire.

DRIP

What great works, what giving words, what Luminous Lessons

can drip with Love if the heart

has

not

been

wrung?

YOU’RE NOT HERE

You’re not here to impress anyone.

Least of all, me.

I know that.

But I also know,

from the depths of your giving and the brightness of Your Effortless Being,

that I will be so very impressed by every effort of Loving Kindness

that you etch into the souls of strangers that the very skies will dance

above your head!

And God will cheer for your joy.

ON GOOD DAYS

On good days, I walk around with such a Liberated Lightness,

it’s as if I’m

not

even

there.

YOU’RE SO HAPPY

You’re so happy when the sun is out; when the wind is tepid and clean

and translucent waters swirl between your toes

like a churning vat of ten billion bits of turquoise.

Ah, I should know!

In the sun, my soul feels so full.

But so it is when every circumstance

is simple bliss.

What of the rain?

Do you dance in the thunder, and gleefully kick every puddle

like an elated dancer upon stage?

On good days, Blissful Ease is so easy to achieve.

That is why we build our boats and paddles:

when rains pour upon us, we need some Soulful Preparation

to weather those storms.

These poems are like nails: use them to secure

your Unsinkable

Vessel.

YOU DO SOMETHING TRAGIC

You do something tragic when you hold back your love

and the ones you are with cannot breathe in

The True You.

You do something tragic when you close yourself up

and prevent your soul from shining through.

Let me see you!

Oh, you do something so tragic,

dearest friend, when you do not cry your truth

for fear that the world might judge you.

It is so tragic when you do not bear openly

your love, your beautiful story, your brilliant lessons, and all your enlightened gifts

on every whim and chance that you’ve been gifted.

Perhaps the greatest Quiet Tragedy,

one that we can so easily avoid, is when you wait for tomorrow

to sew your heart to another’s.

Please,

stop this tragedy.

And turn every chance you have

into a

Beautiful Little

Miracle.

LET’S SMILE

Let’s smile

at every expression of love. Even the silly and juvenile.

The young have nowhere else to turn!

We each begin like those naive seeds:

uncracked, needing our time

(and a few Cosmic Conditions) to coax a Solar-Bound Sprout from that

dull brown shell.

THOSE DARING CATTLE

Here’s to the ones who got away.

Those daring cattle who,

so startled from Our Friend’s shouting call, fell upon the barbed fence

but stood again, and just

kept going.

A BEAUTIFUL MESS

Let’s sit and eat at a large table; just you and me.

I’ve brought us some olives and fruit.

Let’s pull up a spare chair for God,

and invite Him to join us, too.

And so we will eat, and our conversation will go silent for a while because the food will be just too consuming

for the meandering words and Lover’s Tales

that we’ve been sharing.

What a wonderful mess we will make!

Finally, we will start drinking again after our stomachs have settled, and you may notice

that the third chair at our table is still empty, and you will ask,

“What happened to Our Special Guest, did an Angel Carrier misplace your invitation?”

“No, dear friend,” I will reply,

“He joined us from the start! Didn’t you notice? Just look at This Beautiful Mess that we have left

in the wake of All The Love that He has given us,

you and me!”

DULL RAZORS

Don’t let those linear thinkers convince you.

Nothing in this life

is as straight and narrow as they like to make it seem.

Our brains like to think in highways.

But the Soul really treads in winding, uncertain paths

that we cut by hand through the unkempt thicket with Dull

Razors.

DIVINE LOGIC

Were there no darkness, what light

would need to shine?

Oh, the somber,

the melancholy, the pain that grips and grinds!

Know that they cripple my heart like yours,

and with such ferocious disregard that at times, for days or weeks,

it may hardly beat a beat.

And, yes!

I sometimes loathe my slight understanding of this Answerless Life;

this world of endless question.

But then some Divine Logic reminds me:

“Were there no darkness, what light would need to shine?”

THIS IS HAPPENING

by Syndee Stein

This is happening.

Even my greatest attempts at stopping have failed.

Life is moving through me. Life is moving through me.

All I can do

is fight it and lose or

allow.

Syndee Stein is trail guide for transformation at Deeper Ground and uses movement, breath, heart, humor and soulful storytelling to invite people into the alchemy of the

present moment.

KNOW NOTHING BUT LOVE

Knowing, oh, how we grow older and older

so desperately longing to Know!

And so we absorb, we memorize, we conglomerate and accumulate

as much Knowing as we possibly can…

“See us!”, our desperate minds scream aloud, “See how much we Know!”

“Hush, child,”

The Purest Spirit whispers in your ear, “Know nothing but Love.”

And the world becomes

so much

clearer.

ORIGINS

Every ounce of your humanity is

etched in

D i v i n i t y .

CLAY FEARS NOT THE SUN

Birthed supple and warm, we are like little balls of clay

shaped by the smiles of the sun.

It’s Love that makes us malleable; so beautifully bendy!

But now that we’re older,

those rays that beat upon our backs feel so heavy. They’ve made us a bit hardened.

That’s why we remember

to soak ourselves with compassion:

So that we won’t dry out

and c r a c k .

SUBMISSION

Gazing upon a clouded, rainy day, I am drawn to my window sill

like a moth to the flame.

Curious solitude. Eyes widen, empty;

the face loses all expression. I fall quiet.

I am on the cusp

of some Serene Channeling now.

The mind is always the last to let go, to release, to let flow.

And then,

it submits.

LEAP

What does it feel like, dear friend,

to leap on faith and prayer?

It’s something like this:

Your toes curl in anticipation, gripped upon the edge a slick muddy shore.

Unsteady worry flutters in your chest. Knees bend with hesitation,

knowing that flight is soon in store!

And then, a gasp, the leap,

a splash, frigid cold!

Every leap is a chance

to live again; a chance to let Your World unfold!

BLINK

These days, I only fall in love at first sight.

It’s easier that way.

When our gaze is broken, so is the spell.

And eventually, we all have to

blink.

WATER

by Hung Pham

Water is in us. We change as we rise and fall.

God is in the r a i n .

Hung Pham is a traveler, photographer, writer and pathfinder who helps others find their ways and see the world differently at HungOnTheWorld.com.

SHE ALWAYS COMES BACK

I am enslaved by the sun, entranced by her face

like a young lover who has never known heartbreak.

She shows herself

and my heart skips wildly; she veils behind her clouds and I fret, fearing that I may never see her again!

But she always comes back.

A true lover, she is:

Always giving, naught else.

TWO

UNHOLY

God is more present in the sinner than the saint;

in the Holy Up-Turner of Altars than in noble men who pretend not sin,

disguised in jewel and lavish paint.

God resides most full in each of us, and in every barren soul!

Through the sinner does God speak to us,

reminding of what we ought already know.

In dregs, the derelicts, the destitute; in the emptiness of the prostitute,

God’s heart does sob and toil.

Every true saint among men was a sinner

first.

A rebel from rank and file.

But the love they showed to sinners, then,

brought out God in

every smile.