The other night I awoke from a fretful, uncomfortable sleep. I had tossed and turned almost constantly until I felt like every limb in my body was itching to get up and move. Only, it wasn’t a physical itching. It was an emotional one. As I lay awake staring up at the ceiling and listening to the quiet sounds of the night around me, I realized what the problem was. It was a lack of love. Somehow, I have been so far away from the feeling of love for so long that it is causing physical manifestations. I couldn’t find all the words I wanted to be able to give voice to what I was feeling. But I also know that sometimes the masters say it best, so I sat down with some of my favorite poetry.
I know the Way You Can Get…
–Hafiz
From the book: I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz
By: Daniel Ladinsky
I know the Way you Can Get
When you have not had a drink of Loving:
Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About the strange look that appears in you eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.
Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.
Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one’s self.
O I know the way you can get
If you have not been out drinking Love:
You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.
You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.
You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.
I know how you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love’s
Hands.
That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep Remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.
That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me,
For I am a Sweet Old Vagabond
With and Infinite Leaking Barrel
Of Light and Laughter and Truth
That the Beloved has tied to my back.
Dear one,
Indeed, please bring your heart near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!
All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!
So it’s not just me. There are countless others who have felt this way. But I feel like I need to give up the idea that there is only one kind of love that can satisfy me. Maybe I need to begin looking for love’s cup everywhere, in everything.
Wishing you love,
Ava~
Roses and Whimsy 