Saturday, June 02, 2007
Still, I am Shameless in My Need (poem)
(In the Sufi system, one of the stages of the spiritual journey is that of yearning, which sometimes occurs at the beginning of the process, sometimes after the Beloved has manifested and then seemingly disappeared once more.)
Still, I am Shameless in my Need
Who am I
to say things about Love?
Even on days like today
when memory alone
must suffice. . .
Sometimes it is enough
just to think
of all that has happened
between us,
midnight meetings
in broad daylight,
love strokes
from invisible hands.
I no longer grieve
for the lost embrace,
but wait for the
certain return,
the knock at the window
sure to come.
Still, I am shameless
in my need,
like an aging mistress
who fingers old ribbons
and pearls
for reassurance.
Even god
has moments of longing.
Dorothy Walters
June 2, 2007
