What the material world values does
not shine the same in the truth of
the soul. You have been interested
in your shadow. Look instead directly
at the sun. What can we know by just
watching the time-and-space shapes of
each other? Someone half awake in the
night sees imaginary dangers; the
morning star rises; the horizon grows
defined;people become friends in a
moving caravan. Night birds may think
daybreak a kind of darkness, because
that's all they know. It's a fortunate
bird who's not intrigued with evening,
who flies in the sun we call Shams.
Book Beauty
Here's the end of that story about the old woman who wanted
to lure a man with strange
cosmetics. She made a paste of pages from the Qu'ran to fill
the deep creases of her face and
neck with. This is not about an old woman, dear reader. It's
about you, or anyone who tries
to use books to make themselves attractive. There she is,
sticking scripture, thick with
saliva, on her face. Of course, the bits keep falling off.
"The devil," she yells, and
he appears! "This is a trick I've never seen. You don't need
me. You are yourself a troop
of demons!" So people steal inspired words to get compliments.
Don't bother. Death comes
and all talking, stolen or not, stops. Pity anyone unfamiliar
with silence when that happens.
Polish your heart with meditation and quietness. Let the inner
life grow generous and handsome
like Joseph. Zuleikha did that and her "old woman's spring
cold snap " turned to mid-July. Dry
lips wet from within. Ink is not rogue. Let language lie
bygone. Now is where love breathes.
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