I’ve not posted anything here for a while. Most of my poetry has been posted at my main blog, as life has been busy in the last few months. Al hamdu lillah, in every condition and state.
At any rate, I hope you enjoy this latest batch.
The Hand That Opens
The hand that opens in sunlight
is better than the hand
clasped shut in fear.
The eyes that open into night’s beauty
are better than the eyes
that see only darkness.
The heart that opens without remorse
is better than the heart
struck dumb by meanness.
O Beloved, open my hands,
open my eyes,
open my heart.
Speak to Me
Speak to me of love,
my Beloved,
and ease this trial of waiting.
Speak to me of meetings,
my Beloved,
that my separation might grow less.
Speak to me of nearness,
my Beloved,
that the distance between us might fall away.
You
You are the light of stars in my eyes,
and You are the breath of life in my lungs.
You are my tears of sorrow and sadness
and You are my laughter upon a bright morn.
You are sunlight and fresh water
and You are the moon of my soul at peace.
You are a tall tree offering shade and refuge,
and You are the ocean with depths that none can know.
You are my heart
and You are my soul.
You are my going forth,
and You are my coming to rest.
You are all these things and more, Beloved,
so keep me not from Your door.
How I Delight
How I delight in times of travel,
when I might be alone
with my thoughts
and with You.
How I delight in all the small spaces,
where I might leave
my self behind
and find You waiting.
How I delight in these times of companionship,
when my restless soul
speaks its urgent need
into Your ready ear.
The World Outside
The world outside passes swiftly by,
as I sit here in idleness,
thinking of You.
Autumn leaves decorate the ground
with a carpet of red and gold,
beauty rich and vibrant.
The world breathes and moves,
always falling into Your embrace,
a clasp of love around our hearts.
Let the world outside pass beyond us,
let autumn fade to winter
and winter to spring.
Our hearts turn,
just as the world does,
I will be here thinking of You.
The Shirt of Yusuf
Like Zuleikha reaching for the shirt of Yusuf,
I run after You,
chasing Your coat-tails
across the dawn sky.
And like Yusuf in the dungeon,
You have come forth
into my private darkness
to rescue me from me.
O Yusuf of my heart!
O Beautiful Rose-garden of my soul!
You are the shining star of love
in this silent void of me.
Beloved, How You Come to Me Today!
O Beloved, open the door for me,
that I might enter
the rosegarden of Your presence.
O Beloved, cast aside the veil
for even the merest moment,
that I might bask in the Sun of Your face.
O Beloved, let me leap headlong
into the water of Your grace,
that I might be utterly washed away.
Clean light, fresh water
and the fragrance of roses,
Beloved, how you come to me today!
Presence
My Beloved walks amongst the hills,
laughing in the breeze,
smiling in the sun.
The hawk of morning
lifts gracefully into the sky
as trees bow low in greeting.
A wonderful presence stands behind life,
filling this world with a sacred fragrance
of some other realm.
Life’s Sacred Temple
To take but a single breath
is to enter into life’s sacred temple,
to partake of life’s great feast.
To step beyond our door each morning
is to set forth upon life’s adventure,
to join life’s ever-unfolding pilgrimage.
To speak, one to another,
is to pass through the temple gates
and enter life’s blessed courtyards.
The whole of life is sacred,
a process of becoming,
a growing closer to love’s beating heart.
This is Not Your Way
I wish these train journeys would last forever,
that I might spill forth
this heart of mine
onto Eternity’s waiting page.
I wish these nights of ours would never end,
that we might always
be alone, together,
and that naught might come between us.
But, this is not Your way.
You send me forth into day,
and bring me home into night,
so that I might grow to love’s true estate.
Tender Meetings
Moonlight caresses the swaying branches,
like a lover returned,
and made eager
by long separation.
Trees perfume themselves,
reaching forth into the night,
with hands
slender and beautiful.
This is love,
the tender night-enfolded meetings
of lover
and loved one.
You Are Not
You are not a thing
I could hold
and You are not a place
I could reach.
You are not a time
that I could pass
and You are not an absence
that I could fill.
You are the shining moon
in a vale of darkness,
and You are the gift of rain
in life’s burning desert.
You are the Source
and there is no other.
You are my Beloved,
and my heart is lost in You.
O Wine Giver!
Amidst all my tears,
give me more to drink*.
Amidst all my failures,
give me more to drink.
Amidst all my sorrows,
give me more to drink.
Amidst all my sadnesses,
give me more to drink.
O Wine Giver!
Keep pouring, and do not stop!
O Wine Giver!
May Your giving never end!
With each drop,
this drunken ego moves towards sobriety.
With each drop,
this heart of mine readies itself for flight.
Sometimes
Sometimes it comes upon me so strongly,
that I am swept off of my feet
and I find myself rushing
headlong into life.
Sometimes I can almost taste it,
and I feel as though light
will burst forth
from my mouth.
Sometimes I feel myself longing,
so that my heart sheds tears of blood,
and all else but You
is as ash upon the tongue
This Is How Lovers Are
Sunlight leaping through the trees,
birds dancing in the sky,
winter berries bursting forth into exuberance,
this is how lovers are.
Each moment of life
should enliven us,
each fleeting miracle
should lead us to our quickening.
Otherwise, what purpose does life serve?
Beloved, I see a truth:
a life that is not lived
is merely a death slow and lingering.
I Am Done
I am done with earthly wine,
all I crave,
love of my heart,
is the wine of Your presence.
Earthly wine brings naught
but morning regrets;
the wine of the spirit
brings naught but joy.
Earthly wine is a passing illusion,
bringing ruin in its wake;
a single drop of Your wine, Beloved,
keeps the sun ablaze and the moon aglow.
Will You Not
Beloved, I have come to Your fountain,
will You not fill me?
Beloved, I have come to Your door,
will You not bid me enter?
Beloved, I have come to Your table,
will You not give me to eat?
Beloved, I have come seeking Your face,
will You not draw aside the veil?
All I know is need,
so lead me, Beloved, beyond the threshold of me.
The Heart’s Peace
The heart’s peace
is the only peace;
all else is illusion,
a cheap trick of smoke and mirrors.
The heart’s truth
is the only truth;
all else is error,
the ephemeral delusions of ego.
The heart’s love
is the only love;
all else is but play and diversion,
and Beloved, I have time for neither.
I Will Not Speak
I will not speak
the politics of fear.
I will not utter
the darkness of hatred.
And because my eyes are open,
I will extend my hand in peace.
And though the world around me should crumble,
I will not surrender my humanity.
The World Yearns
The blue sky urges me to poetry,
as the warm sun
bids me put pen to paper.
The world yearns for our response,
desiring the gentle caress of our eyes
in all the passing moments of life.
Great beauty should not remain unspoken,
as great love
should not remain undeclared.
Break the seal upon my lips, Beloved,
and let this fleeting realm
hear the sigh of my heart.
Leave Your Self Behind
Rise into the sky
upon wings of light,
this is how the birds
launch themselves into forever.
Leap into the ocean
in joyous abandon,
this is how the fishes
disappear into eternity.
Vanish into love’s hand
and leave your self behind,
this is how lovers
find the One they love.
Speak Beautifully*
When darkness closes in
and words fail,
’speak beautifully to people’.
When the sun rises
and spring returns,
’speak beautifully to people’.
When human frailty
becomes as heavy as iron,
’speak beautifully to people’.
When love’s embrace
lifts us towards the sky,
’speak beautifully to people’.
Beauty lies within the heart,
truth within the soul
and joy within the ears that hear.
The One They Seek
O Beloved, this heart of mine
will keep beating
till You unveil
the beauty of Your Face.
O Beloved, this tongue of mine
will keep on sighing for You,
till You quench this thirst
or leave me be.
O Beloved, these hands of mine
will keep reaching forth
till they caress the Face
of the One they seek.
By My Side
I regret each moment of separation,
as though it were
an entire lifetime of woe.
I regret each fall into narrowness,
as though it were
a descent into my grave.
I have died these small deaths a million times,
and yet, there You are
giving this heart life once more.
Travelling through this dark forest of ‘I’,
with naught but You by my side,
one day, we shall stride forth into sunlight.
When I Stumble
When I stumble
You are the gentle hand
that lifts me onto my feet.
When I am alone
You are the words of a Friend,
reaching into my forlorn solitude.
When I am in pain
You are the soothing balm of solace
that restores hope.
When I am afraid
You are the breath of courage in my lungs
that brings me to my senses.
When I know joy
You are the smile in my eyes
and the laughter in my heart.
When I see Love
You are the sigh of my innermost self
and the light upon my face.
In all things You are with me.
I am never alone,
for Your Love enfolds me still.
The Sun of Your New Self
The sun of your new self
is rising beyond the next horizon.
Arise then and stride forth
into the dawn of your new day.
Throw off the dark coverlet
of yesterday’s failures.
Regret your mistakes, yes,
but let not old night spoil new morn.
Arise then into the light
of your hopes and your dreams.
And never feel ashamed
for being human
Pilgrimage
Life is an unfolding pilgrimage,
a journey towards the sacred centre of the heart,
that place beyond place,
where all is still and bathed in morning light.
If life is a pilgrimage,
it must be lived as a pilgrim,
in the clear sight of holiness
and with the sanctity of gentle intent.
Come, O Soul, the Beloved is waiting
in the sacred precincts of the heart’s Ka’ba,
where birds of Love forever circle,
and a swift sun rises into eternity.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
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Recent Comments
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May 7, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Your blog came up as a related link to my Blog “theheartspace.wordpress.com”. Your poetry is truly beautiful and I want to thank you for it. I hope you will visit my blog….It is quite eclectic yet I do include some of my own poetry as well as writings that are channeled and other writings that I am inspired to include…with the purpose of creating community and connection to ourselves and our hearts..and one another. Again I am so happy to have discoved your writing. Dr. Maya Christobel
May 8, 2008 at 9:40 am
Peace Maya
Welcome to my online home. Thank you for your kind thoughts on my poetry. I am honoured by your kind compliments. All that is beautiful comes from God. Only the mistakes are mine.
I can really relate to your idea of writing as connection, with ourselves and others, as this is the whole point behind my own efforts.
I am glad that you have stopped by. I look forward to sharing with you. Also, I tend to update my other blog (http://www.thecorner.wordpress.com) more frequently than this one.
God bless you always
Abdur Rahman