30 November 2010

Birds Nesting Near The Coast


I took these photos this weekend to illustrate a wonderful Rumi poem from Ruth's marvelous Rumi Days that speaks of them and of the need to love ourselves. The Cathedral is St. John the Divine in St. John's, Antigua.

Soul, if you want to learn secrets,
your heart must forget about shame
and dignity.

You are God's lover,
yet you worry what people are saying.

The rope belt the early Christians wore
to show who they were, throw it away.

Inside you are sweet beyond telling,
and the cathedral there,
so deeply tall.

Evening now, more your desire
than a woman's hair.

And not knowledge,
walk with those innocent of that.,

faces inside fire, birds nesting
near the coast, earning their beauty,

servants to the ocean. There is a sun
within every person, the you
we call companion.

Rumi


8 comments:

  1. I enjoy a lot of Rumi's stuff - and this piece especially.

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  2. Ohhhhh! The last photograph makes me want to grab my oils and brushes and paint!!!! Gorgeous!!
    As always - love your blog!
    xo

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  3. Thanks. Rumi is my muse, at least one of them. And the sheer bounty of this landscape is amazing.

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  4. Amazing to say the least........

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  5. This is beautiful, Mary. Resonates for many reasons today. Thank you.

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  6. Such wise words.

    my daughter took a course in college that was heavy on Rumi and Sufism. The name of the course? "Ways of Knowing" Yep.

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