The Heart of Love

Sometimes surely the heart

Must crack open wide,

For love finds it’s way into the fissures,   

Then strikes us with a molten light

And sears us.

It leaves a permanent mark.

And it must be so,

Because there is nothing

More urgent or important than Love.

And yes it is a many splendoured thing.

But sometimes it hurts so much,

We can hardly bear it.

And yet we must

Obey the call of Love.

Feel it in our blood,

Pulsing in our body.

Reminding us of who we are

And where we’ve come from.

Even why we are here.

And yet sometimes the ways

Of Love are mysterious to us.

We become frightened

And lose our way.

Fear becomes our new master

And we follow it’s orders,

Gradually forgetting the ways of Love.

But only for a while;

For we cannot ignore our true nature forever.

The light within-

It will shine given half a chance.

It is always there flickering,

Waiting to ignite.

Waiting to create a forest fire of the soul

To wake us up to ourselves.

To re-realise,

That there is Love,

And we were Love

All along.

A song for Julie & Mark Marku

Surrounded by policemen, hiding behind shields.

A woman of courage, waits for a glimpse of her beloved.

She cheers him on when she sees him.

Her only defence is the love of her family.

Gathering closer round her,

Like  a woollen shawl in winter.

Then he is gone away, led away for another day.

Too much time spent in prison

Waiting to speak his truth.

Too little time in the court,

There never seems to be time to be heard                        

But despite the odds there is a love

That grows stronger, that never falters.

That digs deep and finds the hope to go on.

A love that endures the trials and tribulations.

One day Mark will walk towards his beloved

As a free man.

But the waiting is just so hard.

Sometimes freedom

Seems a long way off...

Innocent until proven guilty 

Sounds like a joke.

More like guilty 

'till proven innocent

But then you're not given the chance.

But despite the odds there is a love

That grows stronger, that never falters.

That digs deep and finds the hope to go on.

A love that endures the trials and tribulations.

Julie loves Mark                                                                                 

Mark loves Julie

When will he be free?

Julie loves Mark, 

Mark loves Julie,

When will he be free?

But the waiting is just so hard,

Freedom seems such a long way off...

What's the story?

This Friday on June 6, Mark Marku's appeal in Crete will continue. It was adjourned a few weeks ago.  So far it is not going well.  Already in prison for nearly 4 years, Mark has yet to have a fair trial and present evidence that proves his innocence.  

Mark has a wonderful team of lawyers including representatives from the Irish Innocence Project who have taken on his case. The problem is Mark's appeal date has already been moved 5 times. Most recently it was postponed last December on a technicality on the very day it was meant to be heard. Mark and his Irish wife Julie are very afraid that this could happen again.

Every time the appeal is delayed, it means Mark spends longer in prison and the legal fees and expenses are racking up. For example the last attempted appeal cost €15,000. Mark has spent the last 4 years in prison while Julie and her parents have spent their life savings trying to exonerate him. More importantly Mark and Julie’s lives as newly weds have been devastated by this nightmare.

Mark has been in custody in Greece since the 16th of September 2010 and in January 2012 was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for allegedly being involved in a spate of armed robberies of jewellers in Crete in 2010. Mark was living in Ireland with his Irish wife Julie when several of these robberies took place. He has an abundance of documentary evidence to prove his innocence, all of which has been verified by independent sources and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, however the evidence was dismissed at his original trial as forgeries.

Mark was prosecuted based on a line-up with eye witnesses who confirmed that all the raiders wore masks. Mark is of average build and height and has no unusual features to identify him. The prosecution failed to produce any evidence for 11 of the 16 charges brought against him in the original trial and yet he was convicted to 18 years.

Most recently  the appeal started on Monday 12 May 2014 and I was really hopeful that everything would work out this time for Mark and his Irish wife Julie.  I can't believe I was so naive!

Why? Scenes in the courtroom were described as chaotic with a lot of racist remarks from the prosecution witness's and gallery. Then the glove which allegedly had Mark's DNA has been analysed by forensic expert Dr. Greg Hampikian from the U.S. and proves it is not actually Mark’s. However when finally Dr. Hampikian got to present his DNA evidence (on his second trip to Greece to attempt to do so) , the judge decided that actually the defence lawyer could only ask him one question! This lead to the lawyer arguing that this was not fair and the judge suspending proceedings for the day. With the appeal fast becoming a farce and Mark not getting a fair hearing, the lawyers asked for another judge. This was denied and the next day the case was deferred until 6 June 2014. 

So now everything is up in the air again. Just because you might be innocent in Greece, if you are Albanian it seems that you may not be able to get a fair trial and will remain in prison while your appeal is deferred and deferred in the hope that maybe you will give up and or will eventually not be able to afford to keep going. Every time the case is adjourned it costs thousands of euros.  Meanwhile Mark is in a cell with 3 other men for 23 hours a day!

I created an Avaaz community petition to ask the Greek authorities to ensure Mark's trial goes ahead this time and that he gets a fair trial. This is the link

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Chief_Judge_Papatheodorou_Minister_Christos_Geraris_PM_Antonis_Samaris_We_call_on_you_to_ensure_Mark_Markus_appeal_goes_/?nQgKHab

This petition is really important because the Greek authorities really need to know that the world is watching and that there is international interest in Mark’s case. It is clear that as well as needing the appeal to go ahead without further delays, Mark desperately needs a fair hearing where he is allowed to present all the evidence that points to his innocence.

Julie is my friend and she has been through so much. Please sign the petition and share it with everyone you know. 

Please like the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/justiceformarkandandreas?fref=ts to get updates on the case and you can leave a message of support here too if you like.

For further information go the website http://www.justiceformarkandandreas.com/

Many thanks

Claire Marie

Global Music Foundation Jazzmatazz

It started on Thursday, music slowly pouring in where it could-gradually seeping.  On Friday by nightfall I was three-quarters full, I was a medium swing.  By Saturday I was full and music was my way of life.  Golden notes my currency in this enchanted urban land with smiling strangers that fast became friends.  And I can see life ain't really that different here than my home by the sea.  Spring comes here too and the trees wear their fresh shade of green as naturally as their country cousins; -throwing loving glances on our way to school- where we exchange branches of notes, some tested and true but others just feel new and open all our hearts in sharing. 

We have been cracked open, looking at life anew.  Rainbow lights shining out, we can share this vibe.  It's not just angels with them golden notes.  We all have them within.  It's time to share the wealth. 

I haven't cried yet this week, but it's always bubbling up.  I feel it in my throat; I've got tingles in my head.  Wake up ye say and smell the coffee.  It doesn't need to be black and you don't need them cigarettes.  My creativity has been stirred.  I can feel myself waking up to life- to a new wave of being.  I am coasting, riding the wave.  You're never too late to start, to learn, to change and grow.  The layers  make for that eventually flattened fifth (add sus-tenance).  A new vocab, a new sound structure, a new way to navigate this world.

Walk past your broken dreams but now they are the ninth and the thirteenth. We all know the seventh is implied, but it had to be laid down first, otherwise we would never have reached this new beautiful chord.  Because life is bittersweet and it's the pain that spikes the chord and gives it it's unique flavour and rings true for us.  We carry the memory of the pain but the honey is just so sweet and the mix is good.  It's real life, tested and true.  Finally we start to see our own beautiful chord- it just took time to develop. At first we couldn't see how it was going to work out but now it's richer for the time spent in the development.

It's been amazing week.  Thanks everyone for all your encouragement and making it so special!! xx

On sun-danced rocks in the channel

Today the rocks in the channel are speaking to me.  I see dolmens, seals, whales, a dolphin and her calf.

Everything is glowing in the morning sun.  It is so beautiful, I have to sit down; take it all in.  I was on my way to the Dunes but I have found here instead.  It is perfect.  The channel transformed to a babbling brook.  The ocean thundering in the background reminds me I am still on the sea shore.  Watching reflections of waves dancing across a rock where a Neolithic man chases an emu, fills my head with bliss.

Warm sun on my knees.  Sitting on the otter rock.  Flute-like sound of water trickling towards the sea.  I face seaward basking in sunlight, which has been absent for a while now with winter storms.  My back is chilled; we are not out of winter yet.  

The other side of the channel is steep, at once reminding me of the pyramids and the Grand Canyon.  A fly lands on my page and affectionately nudges my nose before buzzing off.  Otter prints led me down under the cliff on my way to the dunes.  I may not get there at all and that’s grand.  Today the interplay of rocks and water and light holds my full attention.  I wonder what messages they have for me.  And then I see the quote on the opposite page of my journal and know.  ….”Sit by the lake’s edge, listening to the water lapping the shore and hear your Father gently calling you to that place near His heart.”  Wendy Moore.

I sit in open heart embracing source and allow it to embrace me too.  Feeling the oneness; the harmony.  I am struck by the tapestry of sound.  The running water plays melody, the ocean is the bass and the meadow pipits vamp overhead. 

Pied wagtail

In the water I see the motion, yet feel the stillness.  I am slowed right down to the level of a rock experiencing all that is; ever present in every moment.  Secure in it’s density. The abiotic watches the biotic.  Offers support; is often a prop.  Who is to say who is more sentient?  Does the flitting human or bird always pay attention to each rock it perches on?  But can the same be said of the rock, who waits impassively but notices everything?  Nothing is undetected.  Immobility confers great observation skills, perception and perspective.  And foremost is acceptance and non-judgement.  If you want fairness, ask a rock.  It has no favourites.  It is slow but full of integrity.

Rocks offer us so much; shelter, protection but also immense beauty.  Both on a micro-scale looking at patterns and colours but also on a grand scale-presenting platforms for majestic views.  Thank you dear rocks for your sturdy dependable presence in our lives.

A fulmar on Long Strand Beach

At the far end of the beach, I found a washed up fulmar which at first glance appeared to be dead.  He opened and closed his bill when he saw me but could not move.  I picked him up and carried him as there were dogs on the beach.  As I walked I gave him reiki.  At first he seemed very ill at ease and held his head out at an awkward angle.  After a few minutes I saw him looking up at me with those clear black eyes.  Now he looked different.  He had surrendered.  He could feel my warmth and the energy and he relaxed.  He settled his head into normal position.  Another few minutes later, I saw his eyes had closed and knew he had died.

I love these birds that have accompanied me so many times on my watches at sea.  This is the first time I held one.  He has that lovely musty petrel smell.  I feel his energy around me, feel the place on my chest where I held him when walking.  I am glad I was able to be there with him and keep the dogs away.  I am saddened and yet enriched.  I sat in the Dunes and started writing…

Sometimes we are caught up in the storm of our lives.
We become helpless and are swept along with currents
And at some stage end up washed up on the beach.

And there we lie, barely conscious, unable to move
Or do anything to help ourselves.
It is only then, we may find the point of surrender.

On the one hand defeated, but on the other,
We finally decide to flow with life
Or if death is calling us, we will go that way too.

Although physically and emotionally spent,
For the first time maybe, there is a space,
A breath, an allowing of what is.

We are finished fighting, struggling & resisting what is.
And now, at our lowest point,
Ironically we are flowing with life.

We may gain clarity of what’s important,
What it is we really wanted all along.
What if we could do this without going to the brink of our lives?
What would life be like then?