Thursday, November 24, 2022

Rumi, "Like This"

If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual desire
will look, lift your face
and say,
Like this.

When someone praises the gracefulness
night, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,
Like this.

When anyone asks about the beauty of angels,
or how the most expensive perfume would smell,
lean your head in close.
Like this.

When someone quotes the old poem
about clouds uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.
Like this.

If someone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,
don’t try to explain the miracle.
Kiss me on the lips.
Like this. Like this.

When someone asks what it means
to "die for love," point
here.

The soul sometimes leaves the body, then returns.
If anyone doesn’t believe that,
Leave my house and walk back in.
Like this.

When lovers moan,
they’re telling our story.
Like this.

I am a sky where angels live.
Stare into this deepening blue,
while the breeze tells a secret.
Like this.

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