A New, Very Old Poet

A few gems from a newly discovered poet, Hafez.

This Sky:

This

Sky

Where we live

Is no place to lose your wings

So love, love

Love

Integrity:

Few
Have the strength
To be a real
Hero --

That rare
Man or Woman
Who always keeps
Their
Word.

Even an angel needs rest
Integrity creates a body so vast

A thousand winged ones will
Plead,

"May I lay my cheek
Against
You?"

I Have Learned so Much:

I
Have Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer call myself

A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim
A Buddhist, a Jew.

The truth has shared so much of itself
With me

That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even pure
Soul.

Love has
Befriended Hafiz so completely
It has turned to ash
And freed
Me

Of every concept and image
My mind has ever known.

Different Wells In Your Heart:

There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that.

In one well
You have just a few precious cups of water,
That “love” is literally something of yourself,
It can grow as slow as a diamond
If it is lost.

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket to protect you.

On One's "Nature"

Today at 9 in the morning (atypically early for a incurable night owl such as myself) I attempted to park in my parking spot at my apartment to find a red Cadillac (License plate #921SGR) occupying my space.

*What to do in this situation*

Obviously, the first reaction is to get that bastard towed. You let them go this one time and it's a slippery slope. You give them a parking spot and they take the parkade... or something.

The second option, since I was leaving for work momentarily would just be to leave them in the spot since I wouldn't be using it before the tow truck got there to relieve them of my spot and parking for me would be around a dollar at the meter before I left for work in either case.

I opted for the second with a message to tell the aforementioned driver that they did not deserve that parking spot and what they actually deserved was a $300+ towing bill.

Is this wrong? Am I setting myself up to be walked over and abused? The short answer is yes.

Here is the long answer:

Upon returning to my car at the meter (a bit late) I found a curious little slip of paper tucked under my windshield wiper and here is what it said:

***
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people.
He said, My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked the grandfather, 'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee simply replied,
'The one you feed'
***

I'm aware of what I am setting myself up for. I'm not stupid. And when I find that this tactic is not working for me I will find another one. And if I ever see that red Cadillac again, he's getting towed. And I'll do that with the knowledge that the slope slides in both directions.