doberman pizza. a baha'i (bahai, bahá'í) blog.

walking slowly down dusty streets
his eyes are lost in thoughts that wash over
like forty waves and swallow him up

how blessed the dust of ‘Akka
how Blessed the Beauty whose feet trod upon it
he says with a tear;
his soul cries out in its separation

like a temple-flower
his prayer falls from his lips, and a wind stirs
and scatters the words he intones;
praise God who hearkens and is ready to answer

would that these stones could speak
and recount the tales of his Beloved;
would that he could hear the voices
of the Concourse on High, singing His praise

lost in thoughts of remembrance
he steps as though scaling those hallowed steps
he walks as though treading the rocky path that leads
to that Point of Adoration, that Holy of Holies

the flutter of a breeze sweeps away the dust
and scatters the flowers falling softly at his feet
and he listens for the voice of the Promised One

Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence. (Bahá’u'lláh)

lost in a sea of subtle fragrance
and deep abounding joy i sigh

you ask me hello are you there you
need to concentrate what are you
thinking of

looking
longing
across the bay
like a magnet it draws me back

it feels like flying
like being there and curling into
a stance of prayer my forehead
touches the carpet and
as the faithful utter wordless devotions
i smell the scent of roses in the air
turning to face that sacred spot that
holy threshhold

drink deep from the cup of His presence
for in nine days you return to your previous life
to find that it can no longer be lived the same way

back at work on a grey day I hear chatter
while deep inside noiseless waves
crash and break upon my heart
and their silent roar echoes in my ears
and shakes this dusty shell that surrounds me

I turn aside and I sigh
and you look on wondering
if one day you look upon my Beloved
you might know why

hunger, like a spoiled child
kicks and screeches at my belly,
craving the bread of indulgence

although in dim reflections i recognize its folly,
the clouds ever re-envelop me,
and the hunger of the dying is debased.

© dan jones, 2001.

the smell of a rose and
the murmur of the river
and springtime gently
wakes a weary world

drops of dew and
stars shining bright,
the song of nightingales
calling my Beloved

my Love, my Lord
so far away and yet
i feel Your presence
like a loved one gone
to distant lands
i hear Your voice

by this isle, by this garden
the river’s waters flow
but i am lost from having drunk
the wine of knowing Thee

my Beloved, my Desire
such sorrows You faced,
the trials and agonies,
and now, to see You leave,
my heart is rent asunder,
and my soul howls and laments.

a mound of roses,
ever growing at Your feet,
implore You to stay
but God has willed otherwise.

my face turned towards You,
i offer thanks and praise
and at the river’s edge
the tears roll down

may 2, 2005:
12th day of Ridván

small poem

my love,

the apple of my eye,

the spring that’s in my step,

the sunshine in my sky,

o my love,

the one i cherish most of all,

here, you dropped your subway token.

don’t blink

how come

the dreams i dream

the stars i see

the fires that warm my feet

wink out

blink out

how come

when i lay down my head

i can’t close my eyes

i can’t close my eyes

how come

when it’s a cool summer night

i can’t look up

i can’t look up

how come

when the blizzard blows

i’m outside

freezing

to death

freezing

to death

don’t blink

a chance goes faster than you think

free

ever feel

hurled down to the ground

and set soaring free?

it’s a strange combination…

the man is mad, they say

who accepts the will of God

but if such a man is mad,

then sane is insane

and I’d rather not be

normal…

set free,

ever feel set free?

in this life of paradox

there is no freedom,

only details, only dreams…

set me free

set me one hand clapping free.

immerse me in honesty.

let me see

the unity

let it become a part of me.

the tears cried in silence
drop from my cheeks,
and fade into the haze.

the hand that dried these tears is long gone
and this strange land offers no relief,
no respite, no calm,
only trials, only tests,
only bitter toil and grief.

memories and dreams of better days
flap in the wind, flutter like moths
and in a gust are blown away.

oh Job, oh patience,
what has become of you?
we were best friends once,
but now all have fallen,
and I stand alone,
or rather slump,
crumpled in the corner.

perhaps I never told you
how much I loved you.
perhaps I never knew
until you were gone.

ere long will this city of exile
surely be a city of light,
but in the meantime
I am shrouded in night,
unbefriended,
abandoned.

in this midnight hour
I close my eyes and sit still
and all I have are my prayers.