Derivations of Rumi
by wisp Monday, Nov 15 2010, 8:22pm
international / poetry / post

(for the lioness, rhea)

         Fragments

my head is bursting
with the joy of the unknown
my heart is expanding a thousand fold
every particle of my being
has taken to wing,
forming swarms
that fly about the world
searching for You
for Love’s intoxicating embrace.

-- Rumi

The wise say
Love is strongest [when]
mixed with anguish,
longing;
when your stomach churns
and your ribcage opens
like an alien flower
revealing at its centre
a Heart
that throbs
and pounds
in frantic desire,
for the warm rays
of your Being.

In our city
we do not call you Lover
if you avoid the agonies
and run from pain.

Look for Love fearlessly
welcome it to your soul
the sharp blade of sacrifice
is fleeting
compared to the eternal
altar-fires of Bliss.

Watch your Soul
swoon and
your Spirit take flight
on wings of Ecstasy.

Those who avoid
the price,
the pain and agony
never know
Love’s eternal Ecstasy.

[Improvisations and renderings by wisp.]