Rumi's Poem and Gibran's Painting

Etreinte (embrace) by Khalil Gibran

"Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words."

— Rumi

Obsession with the Moon

"At night, I open the window
and ask the moon to come
and press its face against mine.
Breathe into me.
Close the language-door
and open the love-window.
The moon won't use the door,
only the window."
— Rumi (A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings)

Painting and Poems by Khalil Gibran

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, & too selfish too seek other than itself - Khalil Gibran

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart & you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight - Khalil Gibran

Footprints

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

One of my favorite poems

Equilibrium

In nature, where something vanishes, something else reappears,
Where something fades, something else brightens,
Where something shrinks, something else grows,
Where something dies, something else is born.

Is the human mind also part of this equilibrium?

Historical brother

You’ve lost me, dear brother,

You’ve lost what I stood and lived for,

The glory of our protection,

The green of our grass and plants,

The grace of our canals,

The giving nature of our people.

I can’t blame you, but you are lost,

Without reason or history,

You were born out of a needy greed,

A thirst for power that my people perhaps fuelled,

You’re lost in a world of commerce and mistrust,

In a world of this nuclear greatness.

What can I say except remember,

Remember me and my people, remember us,

Remember you.

Remember where power comes from,

And for what reasons,

Remember those around you and where they came from,

Remember the seeds that grew,

Into plants, grass, animals, and birds,

Remember our skies are still your skies,

Our mosque’s souls are your mosque’s souls,

Remember why you breathe,

Remember your history and yes,

Remember your future.

Will you really call me your historical brother,

When I am right here inside you,

Remembering and talking to you?

Remember.