The Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence

...is filled with soulful voices.

The poetess Meisaan tells me,
God does not close doors to opportunities,
but rather closes them to our excuses.(1)

Then Lao Tzu warns me
not to pick up and wield a weapon,
that in violence every victory is a funeral.(2)

Next Henri laments the world at large
poised on the brink of nuclear holocaust,
yet finds optimism in so many hope-filled hearts.(3)

I think Hafiz may be right,
we are at a very low tide,
but the water will come back.(4)

While Aquinas is quick to remind me,
we are all madly in love
with the same God.(5)

And from Rumi comes my soul's voice:
When union happens, my speech goes inward,
towards Shams...
When school and mosque and minaret
get torn down, the dervishes
can begin their community.(6)

(1) Meisaan Chan - Curving Toward the Center - July 17, 2019
(2) Lao Tzu - Tao: 31st Verse
(3) Thomas Aquinas - Attributed Poetry
(4) Henri Nouwen, You Are The Beloved, July 23
(5) Hafiz, Why All This Talk?, trans. Daniel Ladinsky
(6) Rumi, A Year With Rumi, trans. Coleman Barks

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Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
~ Khalil Gibran

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