Bahá'í Epistolary

Friday 22 June 2007

Poems of the Journey: Preamble to a Wish

Here is another "poem of the journey", as I have chosen to refer to these burning sighs. This one is the fruit of my reflections on the preamble to the Long Obligatory Prayer, which in truth may be an entire journey, in itself, into the heart of obligatory prayer, and a gateway to sincerity. May we be confirmed in our quest for authenticity at the moment, that unique, atemporal moment, that kairos, of true prayer.



PREAMBLE TO A WISH



“Whoso wisheth...”


Whose own wishes

spread like canvas

for His hand to trace

its wishes on?


Who


so wishes

so longs

so yearns?



Who so wishes



“let him stand up”


above what

inclination

from what

reclining state



“and turn”


at last away from all

inertia?



“unto God”


advance

approach

the Wish of Him

Who wishes

we might wish so?



Who so wisheth

to recite this prayer

let him stand up

and turn


unto God.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My dear brother Ismael,
Thank you for your inspiring contributions and reflections. I was greatly moved by this poem and am still buzzing with the spiritual force it awakened in me.
I beg you, forgive my presumptuousness. I have taken the liberty of passing this along to the members of those Baha'i communities I've been blessed to know, along with a glowing commendation for "Baha'i Epistolary" from an avid reader of your always invigorating prose. I'm certain they will be enriched thereby.
Thank you also for your presentation and commentary on the process' of the 5th Epoch. I found it most informative and was thereby deepened in the vision and purpose driving the Beloved's plans, and the union of practice and divine spirit which must inevitably form the basis of all efforts to glorify and establish God's Cause among men.
I look forward with eager anticipation to more such beautiful poems and reflections.


An as yet unfledged pioneer in His Cause.