Realities of Life

The poems in this book were first written, sometimes quickly, by Alex to capture insights about life that he had gained. Some of the thoughts came straight from his heart, in the peaceful early morning hours, spent reflecting on life over a cup of green tea. Others were inspired by reading and contemplation.

After sharing his first drafts with Eva, she masterfully edited them. Furthermore, she meaningfully added to the initial thoughts and reflections, greatly enhancing the original versions. She also drafted a few of the poems herself.

In compiling this collection, the intentions have been that as much as possible, the poems would be:

• Reality-based – true to lived experience.


• Inclusive – speaking to readers on any spiritual path, or none.


• Timeless – relevant today, next year, and in decades to come.


• Universal – able to touch people’s lives across a broad spectrum.

However, while the poems are intended to speak to people of any spiritual orientation, readers may find a gentle undercurrent of Christian and/or Buddhist thought as a result of the background and studies by their authors.

Alex and Eva are pleased to have permission from Jindrich (Henry) Degen, Eva’s father, to use some of his mainly abstract paintings as introductory pages to the sections and to the individual poems in this book.

The poems are arranged under the following themes:

• Truths of Life


• Wisdom for Life


• Acceptance


• End-of-Life Reflections


• In Memoriam


• Friendship


• Family


• On a Lighter Note

With the authors now well into their sixties, as well as having over the years been drawn to interact with and serve older members of their communities, the poems overall reflect a serious side of life. Specifically, four trains of thought have emerged: life has many wonderful qualities and is a precious opportunity to benefit oneself and many others; this life is impermanent and can end unexpectedly; life is inescapably governed by cause and effect; and life is not without difficulties, frustrations, and heartaches. To balance the soberness of the poems, Eva wisely suggested including a section entitled “On a Lighter Note”!

May readers find the feelings and thoughts about life captured in the poems helpful and insightful for their own life journey. Words, of course, are limited and so may they point to the deeper, heartfelt, and sometimes inexpressible, meanings.