Ghazal: Opalescent Soul

As humans we have so many things to look after – our nails – our hair – our hearts – our transcendent souls –
We file our nails – we cut our hair – we fall in love or find the true object of the love of our resplendent souls –

A camel stands in silhouette in moonlight on a desert horizon – majestic and nobly still –
The whole scene taken in by our eyes of love – ancient dimension of our luminescent souls!

I see you over the wall in your garden so tenderly tending your red and yellow roses –
You move so slowly you might be a ghost – the most vivid thing your bright quiescent soul

If we veer too far to the left we might founder – if we veer too far to the right we might turn to stone –
The frenzy of movement from side to side is the wild animal of our adolescent souls –

I just ate an animal cracker from the bag – it’s hard to tell what it is – it might be a horse –
The fuzzy and insecure outlines of so many folk show the sad sinking of deeply depressant souls

The door opens and light pours in – in a flash we’re past gross physical being and gone –
Our own outlines disappear altogether engulfed by our death-angel’s incandescent soul

O heart – lift up your sleepy eyelids and look out through the darkling trees!
Wildflowers burst into firework blooms of your efflorescent soul!

Dive down Ameen – through air – earth and water – pass through infernos of fire!
In the depths where sunlight rarely falls – you’ll find your original opalescent soul!

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5/30/2002 (from The Flame of Transformation Turns to Light)

Categories: Poems