Author Archives: Jude

POETRY ENCORE

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MAGICAL CHILD

DANCING THE DREAM

Michael JacksonTHE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL TWO

Magical child once felt a twinge

A faint recollection, a memory unhinged

In the colors, the forms, the hue

There seemed a mystery with a subtle clue

Behind the wind, the storm, the gale

Within the shroud, beyond the veiltoes

Hidden from view in a wondrous pattern

There seemed a force that he could not fathom

Its music and cadence were playful and sweet

He danced in bliss to its throbbing beat

He did not mind either cold or heat

On the mountain high was his royal seatvanity fair two

Strangers came and scorned his joy

With ridicule and banter they tried to destroy

What in their minds was a skillful play

With cruel  darts they tried to plunder

To suffocate and strangle his innocent wonder

Fighting hard despite their blunder

Again and again to steal his thunder

Despite their attacks, they could not break

With all their barbs, they could not take

God’s gift of love, which they could not faketwymmf again three

Not knowing his strength or what he sought to seek

They complained aloud and called him a freak

But the mysterious force just kept its hold

Magical child grew brave and bold

Diving deep into his soul

In exquisite ecstasy  he discovered his role

In his Self was infinite scope

This mysterious force was mankind’s hope

Piercing through that mask of being

In that silence beyond all seeing

Was a field with a different story

A field of power, of awesome glory

With other children, it unfurledsilhouette

Its tidal wave would change the world

Magical child was ready to bow

Sow the seed, pick up the plough

With effortless ease, without a sigh

Without a tear, without a cry

With silent perfection

Under God’s direction

To sing together as one race

Stem the tide, transform this placeroyal brunei two

Magical children, don’t worry how

Don’t delay, this moment’s now.

PROSE

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INNOCENCE

Michael Jackson

DANCING THE DREAMYANA

It’s easy to mistake being innocent for being simpleminded or naïve.  We all  want to seem sophisticated;  we all want to seem street-smart.  To be innocent is to be “out of it.”

Yet there is a deep truth in innocence.  A baby looks in his mother’s eyes, and all PERFORMANCE ART THREEhe sees is love.  As innocence fades away, more complicated things take its place.  We think we need to outwit others and scheme to get what we want.  We begin to spend a lot of energy protecting ourselves.  Then life turns into a struggle.  People have no choice but to be street-smart.  How else can they survive?

When you get right down to it, survival means seeing things the way they really are and responding.  It means being open.  And that’s what innocence is.  It’s simple and trusting like a child, not judgmental and committed to one narrow point of view.  If you are locked into a pattern of thinking and responding, your performancesevencreativity gets blocked.  You miss the freshness and magic of the moment.  Learn to be innocent again, and that freshness never fades.

 

POETRY

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MAGICAL CHILD

Michael Jackson

DANCING THE DREAMes

Once there was a child and he was free

Deep inside, he felt the laughter

The mirth and play of nature’s glee

He was not troubled by thoughts of hereafter

Beauty, love was all he’d see

He knew his power was the power of Godso handsome two

He was so sure, they considered him odd

This power of innocence, of compassion, of light

Threatened the priests and created a fright

In endless ways they sought to dismantle

This mysterious force which they could not handle

In endless ways they tried to destroysweetie four

His simple trust, his boundless joy

His invincible armor was a shield of bliss

Nothing could touch it, no venom, no hiss

The child remained in a state of grace

He wasn’t confined in time or place

In Technicolor dreams, he frolicked and played

While acting his part, in Eternity he stayedTHE INNOCENCE OF CHILDREN

Soothsayers came and fortunes were told

Some were vehement, others were bold

In denouncing this child, this perplexing creature

With the rest of the world he shared no feature

Is he real?  He is so strange

His unpredictable nature knows no range

He puzzles us so, is he straight?smile though your heart is aching

What’s his destiny.  What’s his fate?

And while they whispered and conspired

Through endless rumors to get him tired

To kill his wonder, to trample him near

Burn his courage, fuel his fear

The child remained just simple, sincere

All he wanted was the mountain high

Color the clouds, paint the skylove of children

Beyond these boundaries, he wanted to fly

In nature’s scheme, never to die

Don’t stop this child, he’s the father of man

Don’t cross his way, he’s part of the plan

I am that Child, but so are you

You’ve just forgotten, just lost the clue

Inside your heart sits a seer

Between his thoughts, he can hear

A melody simple but wondrously clear

The music of life, so precious, so dearDADDY ELEVEN

If you could for one moment know

This spark of creation, this exquisite glow

You would come and dance with me

Kindle his fire so we could see

All the children of the earth

Weave their magic and give new birth

To a world of freedom with no pain

A world of joy, much more sanepure love two

Deep inside, you know it’s true

Just find that child, it’s hiding in you.

LITTLE PIECES OF PAPER

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“I love achieving goals.  I love not only reaching a mark I’ve set for myself but exceeding it.  Doing more than I thought I could, that’s a great feeling.  There’s nothing like it.  I think it’s so important to set goals for yourself.  It gives you an idea of where you want to go and how you want to get there.  If you don’t aim for something,  you’ll  never know whether you could have hit the mark.”

MOONWALKSEAN

Michael Jackson

Michael often wrote the goals he had set for himself  on little pieces of paper and then taped them to his bathroom mirror.  Each morning when he was brushing his teeth and shaving, getting ready for his day…there were the little pieces of paper reminding him of what he  wanted to achieve.  One day, while researching, I came across this detail, and I must admit, I froze.  The brilliance in its simplicity…what a fabulous idea.  I immediately thought of children.  Behaviors are acquired over time, practiced until they become second nature.  I had no doubt that if I were still in the classroom, I would have encouraged my children to begin this habit of a lifetime.

Michael often referred to the wisdom of children, and, I can tell you, I have seen it first hand over many decades.  A young child can begin to take on positive actions at very moonwalker sixearly ages…goal-setting is a case in point.

I have always believed that if we truly want children to learn, we must be the role model of whatever it is we are teaching.  The old adage:  “Do as I say, not as I do!” has failure written all over it.  A part of the genius of Michael Jackson is that he faithfully walked the talk.

INNOCENT VOICES is in its infancy…first crawling, and then, walking.  I believe in teaching children goal-setting.  The question that begs to be asked is:  “How do I apply handthat planning to writing articles?”  If I were working with children, we would carve out a tentative plan…one that will be revisited from time to time, tweaked, discussed, evaluated.  I like the idea of allowing the plan to grow organically.  I have learned from Michael that a project is never really complete…Revisiting, Nurturing and Defining move closer to perfection.

Goal-Setting:  It would be fun to think about these:

~Discovering the joy of books

~Starting a Journal

~Handprints…”It’s my very own!”

~All of Me Bodyprints

~All Mine

Now, I am going to write these out on little pieces of paper and  tape them to my paris and princebathroom mirror.  Let’s see if I reach my mark, or even exceed it!

“She (Mother) taught me that my talent for singing and dancing was as much God’s work as a beautiful sunset or a storm that left snow for children to play in.”

Michael Jackson

“Keep on reaching, do it for me.!”

Shine!

Michael Jackson with Jude

 

INSPIRATION

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NOURISH THE CHILD

Dedicated to everyone who was a kid…who is a kid…who will always be a kid.htw twelve

Foreword

Pigtails and Froglegs

Michael Jackson

Heal the World Foundation

1993

“To a child, food is something special.  It isn’t just a delicious taste or the vitamins that WYBT FOURbuild a healthy body.  Food is love and caring, security and hope-all the things that a good family can provide.  Remember when you were little and your mother made a pie for you?  When she cut a slice and put it on your plate, she was giving you a bit of herself, in the form of her love.  She made you feel safe and wanted.  She made your hunger go away, and when you were full and satisfied, everything seemed all right.  Because that satisfied feeling was in the pie, you were nourished from a deep level.  Food is sweet twosomething we all need physically, but so is the love, the deeper nourishment, that turns us into who we are.

Think about how necessary it is to nourish a child with a bit of yourself when you use SWEETthis book.  It is full of delicious things.  Every recipe has an extra ingredient of caring, because the people who wrote them were thinking of the children.  They were especially thinking of those who aren’t able to take nourishment for granted because they are poor, sick or disabled.  These are the children who need food to heal.  The theme of “Heal the World.” which has been close to my heart, is the central theme of this book, also.  Here are recipes for the spirit.  Please make them with that in mind.  Your child is a growing spirit that can be knit strong with love.  When you break an egg and measure a cup of flour, you are magically mixing the gift of life.  The food’s proteins and minerals will turn into bones and muscles, but your feeling as you cook will turn directly into soul.you are not alone two

It makes me happy to think that the needs of children’s spirits are at last becoming important in this world.  Children have no power to end wars directly or to mend age-old differences.  All they can do is be themselves, to shine with gratitude and joy when love is turned their way.  Yet isn’t that ultimately the greatest power?  In the eyes of a child you become the source of joy, which lifts you into the special category of caregiver and life-provider.  You may think that your apple pie has only sugar and spice in it.  A child is wiser-with the first bite, he knows that this special dish is the essence of your love.  Enjoy!humanitarian like no other two