Still Human

There are those days
When you think
Crap, I'm still human.
And I thought I'd transcended all of this....

Different Kinds of Love

There is a love for worldly people or items or experiences that makes one weak,
The nerves are worn, concentration is lost, the stomach flutters with anxiety; oscillating between fear and hope...

Then there is a love for God that makes one strong.  The constitution is rejuvenated, energy returns, the heart feels fortified and supported.  Certainty of loving and being loved is here.

God, tonight is long, you know which kind of love I need.

Earthly Love

Earthly love is just trying to get close to what we have in heaven.
Loving each other in form is only a sad approximation for loving the Infinite Formless One,
Except when it isn't.

Rahman (The Most Compassionate)

'Everything on the earth will perish,
Except the face of your Lord full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor.'*

We must accustom ourselves to this reality now.
It is never too soon,
Then all of our troubles will be eclipsed by His Beauty.









*Inspired by Surat Ar-Rahman from the Quranic verses:

 ²⁶ "All that is on earth will perish:" that is on earth will perish:"

²⁷ "But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour."

²⁸ "Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"

Faith as Medicine and Wine

Strengthening faith regularly has the effects of medicine on the body.
Imbibing faith abundantly, frequently and voraciously, has the more pleasing effects of wine.


Abbreviated version


Faith taken in regularly becomes medicine.
Faith taken in voraciously becomes wine.

Make My Presence Sacred

Some people are afraid of holy buildings, or don't know or just don't want to go,
So Lord, make my heart and presence sacred
So that people find refuge in them.

I Feel Like It's Cheating

I feel like it's cheating,
When writing poetry is so easy and fun,
To simply remember God through these words.

There are those out there killing themselves to fast, pray, meditate, contort themselves in all kinds of yogas,
And here I just smile and play word games with the Most Eloquent One.

A New Tradition

My friend and I made up a new tradition tonight,
On Thanksgiving Eve we pray for the best of things that God could give us,
And on Thanksgiving Day we forget about them and are content.

Worth 1000 Years

Ok God,
Let's quit messing around.
I happen to know that there are some prayers that are worth 1000 years of praying.
Teach me those now if you wouldn't mind....

I wonder if it's in the undivided focus of mind during the interaction with You,
Or is it the sincerity of heart,
The love of Providence or of fellow creatures,
Or is it in the longing to meet You?

Maybe it has something to do with surrender...

Give us a hint, Love,
We have been praying for so very long.

What About Thoughts

Some of us affirm 5 times each day that all of our words, bodily actions, and sacrifices of wealth are for God... but what about our thoughts?

But For the Grace of God (Lessons of a Social Worker)

Look at the one who's been condemned as a criminal,
And be grateful your mistakes weren't publicly recognized yet.

Listen to the one who begs in the streets,
And thank God for the abundance in your life.

Eat your dinner in peace and joy,
But remember the one who goes hungry
And the One who feeds all.

Sleep in your comfortable bed and remember the homeless and the helpless and think
There, but for the grace of God, go I.

RX

A prescription for elevated, rightly guided thoughts:

Discussions with faith-filled friends,
Right livelihood,
Spiritual music,
Regular praying.

Brought Their Hearts Together

Who among us has not mistakenly attributed a creatures' actions to himself?  Who has not thought- 'Oh that guy did that to me!' or 'That woman refuses me...'

But then what is the meaning of the verse:

...And brought their hearts together.  If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together, but God brought them together.  Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Think again when you look at any created thing as having causal power.

As If I Were Praying

When I work and do duty in the service of my fellow humans,
I feel my heart expand as if I were praying,
What a pleasant surprise!

Dependable

God's care for me is solid
Unwavering and dependable enough,

Dependable enough for me to forget the idols,

Idols that I had loved for so long
That I began to mistake them for my lord.

Basic Intructions

If there is any music that helps you to feel love for God, listen to it.
If there is any book that makes your heart expand with wisdom, read it.
If there is any person from whose company you go with a greater
Peace and trust in God, seek them out.

So Addictive

Do you ever just get stuck doing something?
I know.
These days I can't stop thinking about God.
Who would have thought that writing poetry
Could become so addictive.

Gifts To Be Wished For

Adam's innocence,
Abraham's singleness of sight,
Ismael's surrender,
David's faith, voice and songs,
Solomon's wisdom and reign,
Jesus's prayers and compassion,
Muhammad's preference in His sight,
Rumi's whirling,
Shams's ability to inspire,
Hafiz's directness,
Theresa's devotion,
Khidr's right guidance,
Moses's sweetness,
My own soul's love.

Wudu (Ablution)

When my hands give and withhold as He would, and I can touch hearts with mercy flowing from my fingertips,
When my mouth speaks words full of life and wisdom,
When my eyes are His eyes, and see what He sees, and give light as He gives
When my arms can reach out and embrace all of humanity across the earth, across time

Then I am ready to pray.

Spiritual Health

I use this as a measure of spiritual health,
How many seconds it takes me to rid my mind of any particularly pesky
thought of the world.
For compelling thoughts 15 seconds should be ample time.
Writing poetry helps.

A Lovely Halo

The moon had a lovely halo last night,
So do we all.

Look up into the night sky sometimes
And contemplate the greatness of God.

In the Air

Poems are floating in the air today,
I hope I can catch some.

I Have Been Sturdier

I have been sturdier
In other lifetimes.
I have had unflappable faith, radiant like the sun...
If you have faith you have everything.

God gave me a relatively easy life this time,
As if to apologize for the heaviness of the world during these ages,
And to thank me for coming.
He loves me more now than ever.

I Have Done My Job

If someone is in my presence for a few hours,
Or even a few minutes,
And they leave with a better opinion of God and life,
I have done my job and I am satisfied.

With Words

Do you know how He catches me?
With words,
Words so sweet, so full, so true, so promising,
So intimate, so direct.

With words that come from sohbets,
From letters of spiritual friends,
Words in songs,
And in holy books,
Or words delivered straight into my heart and mind....

And then, do you know,
I am floored.
And then I dance...for years... for lifetimes...

Teach Yourself Peace

Does your brain ever stumble,
Get tripped up on material concerns?

The synapses and chemicals are programmed by you,
And thoughts are habitual.  If you do not intervene, your environment may dictate your mind's roaming.
Past experiences will replay.  Future worries will dominate.
There is no end to the working of the mind.

Train your brain in transcendence,
Read eternal truths.  Meditate on God's love.
Teach yourself peace.

Psychological Benefits

You know, they say there are psychological benefits to faith.
For example, the Catholics in Mexico have little in this world as far as material possessions,
But as a population they rank high in happiness.

How happy have you been feeling these days?

Too Good Not to Believe

Some people debate belief in religion,
They won't accept it, or sadly they can't buy into it,

The offering of a Friend, always by your side,
Ready to help, to save your life even,
With a call from you, or just a thought.

Personally, I think it's too good not to believe.

Worthwhile Because of You

When I have a child, from my body or my heart, I want God to look at it with awe,
To see gracious qualities that He didn't even know existed.
As He said to Muhammad, 'If not for you I would not have created anything',
I want him to say to my child,
Everything I have created is worthwhile
Because of you.

So Therapeutic

Who would have thought that writing a poem a day for God
Could be so therapeutic?

Sing to God, write to God, pray to God
However you want, however you can.

It's a lot better than all of the other things we could be doing.

More Than Enough

To have woken up in good health and sound body,
In warm and comfortable surroundings,

To have had the freedom to eat what I chose,
When I chose.

To have been able to pursue enriching activities,
That fed my body, mind and spirit.

To have spent time with a loved one.
To have helped others.

To have sung songs of love and praise to God.
Enough.

All that I received in this day was more than enough.

And He says "Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?"
Oh God, don't let me deny even one.  Let my gratitude be endless.

Anything That Brings Your Heart Closer

I hope my poems do for you what water does for a man in the desert.
I hope you are relieved,
And that your very life is saved by the life in these words.

I am praying that these poems will survive until the end of time when they are no longer needed,
When all human beings have ascended to the light,
And words about God are then so prevalent, so easy to come by.

Until then study and cherish any person, any words,
Anything that brings your heart closer to God.

Remembrance is the Greatest

Sometimes I wonder if it's enough,
Just to think about you all of the time.
What if I don't bow down?
What if I can't fulfill one ritual with this body,
And I only think of you?

Then I remember your words:
Remembrance of me is the greatest way to pray.

Every Act of Grace is Eternal

I used to think that cooking was a trivial, ephemeral activity;
You make something that ends up in the toilet within hours.

But then I remembered that the great ones fed their people,
Moses brought manna from heaven,
Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes,
Mother Earth never fails to produce.

Feeding others is an act of grace,
And every act of grace is eternal.

Thank God He Takes Care of Everything

If duality were reality it would be impossible to survive.

If other human beings were in charge of our well-being, can you imagine the chaos that would ensue?!   Injustices, unkindness, spirits lost and broken....

Thank God He really takes care of everything.

Nothing Monumental

We attribute so much to our fellow humans,
We blame and praise them,
We seek aid, or love.
In reality most of them don't have the ability to concentrate with enough focus or power to achieve much of anything monumental.

Wisdom Heals

The prophet spoke to me in a dream the other night.
He showed me an image of a fragmented egg shell which had been reconstituted into a whole more-than-perfect egg.
It was luminous, with delicate gems decorating the seams.
This is the human mind and spirit as a result of psychology, he said.
Wisdom heals.

Ask For The Best

I have received the soul of the poets, what a gift!

A flowing river right in my own heart
If you pray enough you get what you ask for.
Ask for the best of things.

I Apprentice My Poems To God

Hafiz said 'I will write a poem a day for my teacher Attar.'
I said, 'May I write some for you?'
He said, 'I will be 100 years away from you...'
So I took God as my Master and I apprentice my poems to Him instead.

Spiritual CPR

God gave me CPR.
My heart and breath were lifeless,
And He revived me with His own breath and His own heart.
Now I am certified in Spiritual CPR.

The Royal Treatment

We often feel we must make demands on our loves, don't we?
And we struggle to receive the situation that we want.

Now I have entered into a supreme relationship.
There is no more negotiating of terms,
I am guaranteed the royal treatment from here on out.

Misplaced Affection

The heart is a battle ground.
Really, if you lose this territory, you will lose your life.

I pray to God for those thousands of angels that He promises,
For truly, one drop of love for any illusory thing, any object of misplaced affection,
Reduces me to my knees and vital energy drains from me.

I cannot see the end of this war,
But at least I know one thing-
I will win.

Breathe in Light

There are some days that I feel like I'm drowning,
Unless I breathe in Light.
Can you understand what I'm saying?
Good, that means that the illusion of this world
Has become disagreeable to your constitution.