Sweet One

Sweet One

My heart is overflowing with gratitude

As I sit here contemplating your sweet little soul

I have always known with unquestioning certitude

That someday your presence would make me whole

That you and your siblings would bring joy and completeness

The sense that my life’s purpose had been attained

With your smiles, your laughter, your light and your sweetness

I promise my love will be unrestrained

Take your time coming, but know we are here

Praying for you every morning and night

Waiting for your beautiful soul to appear

For our lives to be illumined by your radiant light

Your father and I promise to love you forever

As high as the sky and as deep as the sea

A love which nothing on this earth can sever

As far as the earth's core and as tall as the tree

This love will never for a moment waiver

It is as wide as the mountain and beyond what you see

Have faith in this love and let it help you be braver

As you learn to trust your heart and to give endlessly

I Hope You Know

When each of you came into my life

You left a stamp on my soul

Your joy became my joy

Your sorrow, my sorrow

Nothing compared to the love that you shared

Or the way that you made me feel whole

And when you left

Whether quickly or with a prolonged good-bye

My heart broke a little

There is a hole in my heart now

Where once you were

A loss no words can express

Your toothless grin

Your deeply wise heart

Your tickle attacks 

Your "come and get me!"

Your endless questions

Your eyes filled with love

I miss each of you

Every day

More than words can say

My heart aches to hug you

To have you run into my arms

To watch you grow

To make sure you know

How deeply I love you

But I also hope

That you forget me

That you grow and learn

And that the time we spent together

Becomes a fading memory

A happy one

Oh how I hope it is a happy one

But not one that holds you back

Not one that brings you sadness

I hope you dream and you smile

That you find beauty in the tests you face

And are always surrounded

By His loving embrace

And I hope you know 

I hope you always know

How deeply

How utterly

How completely

You are loved

The Essence of Who I Am

Happy Birthday Mommy! You are the song of my soul and the radiance that unites our family and draws us ever closer together! I hope you know how deeply and profoundly you are loved!

Vulnerability

I stare at your dead flowers
shaking in the breeze
While right beside you
your small brother flourishes
His coral flowers reach for the sun
What left you destitute my friend?
bereft of life giving beauty
What internal struggle broke your spirit
leaving you an inflexible and thorny barrier?
How can I help you to bloom again?
To believe in your worth
to show your vulnerability?
For the most vulnerable and fragile part of ourselves
is often the blossoming flower
that attracts the hearts of others

Badi

He carried Your proclamation with faith unyielding

A boy with the courage to face a Shah

Your message of utter truth he was wielding

And nothing could alter the vision he saw

Transformed by his time in Your glorious presence

His heart’s foundation rearranged and alight

Created anew, ablaze with Your essence

He set out on a journey to deliver Your light

                                                                       

When each of us leaves this Holy mountain

We leave transformed, as Badi left
Aflame with Your love, a billowing fountain
Carrying Your proclamation to the sorely bereft

The Essence of Who I Am

I remember sitting on your lap as a child

There was no place safer in the whole big world

Your arms around me, held me close to your side

And my heart and soul were yours

I remember sneaking into your bed at night

When my mind would race, you'd hug me tight

I'd fall asleep in your arms, safe an secure

And my heart and soul were yours

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am 

I remember Saturday mornings, sneaking out of the house

Taking in the sun, two morning birds just you and me

I treasure each and every memory

And my heart and soul are yours

I remember walking through airports, through trials

Giving each other the strength to move forward

We walk this world together, no matter the miles

And my heart and soul are yours

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am

Though separated by great distances

Our hearts never stop beating as one

We will walk forever as we always have

Mom and daughter, hand in hand

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am

The Climb

She was told to climb the mountain

     An intimidating aspiration

     To conquer His marvelous creation

Seen from the bottom there was nothing but clouds

     The distance to the summit boundless

     The request unreasonable and groundless

No words could be spoken, not a single thought voiced

     Submitting outwardly, she began to walk

     Suffering, sweltering, yearning to talk

Frustration trapped in her parched mouth, she struggled with every step

     But slowly the complaints eased and faded

     As she moved forward alone and unaided

The echoes of silence consumed all her thoughts

     The wonder of being alone in her mind

     Of searching within herself and removing her blind

Nature's tranquility brought calm to her heart

     Her thoughts turned to the path she was treading

     Where she had been and to where she was heading

As she approached her goal, tears filled her eyes

     In awe of the freedom she felt in her soul

     The recognition of her true self, of taking control

Her last few steps were taken with wonderment

     Leaving behind her faults and imperfections

     The ecstasy of the moment bringing clarity to her reflections

She understood that life is not about fleeting trials or achievements

     For all these things will come and pass with the ebb and flow of time

     But rather, detaching from self and drawing closer to Him 

     Is the true and wondrous purpose of this never-ending climb

This is a poem I wrote in Jan-2011 but never published. I tweaked it a little, but it seems appropriate now for many reasons. It was inspired by a story from a friend's blog - http://sahbarohani.blogspot.co.il/2007/02/greatness.html.


Picture from google search - http://jakartaexpat.biz/travel/climbing-mt-merapi-no-jumping-pictures-please/

A Mother's Loss

Anger sears deep in her veins

An anger nothing can contain

At a God she does not even believe in 

At people who do not support her passion

But this anger is fueled by a soul deep hole

A sadness nothing can console

A loss as deep as a deadly canyon

On whose edge she stands with no companion

At the bottom of that drop is her beloved son

Gone before his fourth year had begun

Stolen by a disease she could not control

And yet the guilt rakes her to the depths of her soul

This guilt defines her very existence

Anger her body's only resistance

Without it she would fall into this canyon of sorrow

And there would be no movement, no tomorrow

So unable to find purpose in her path's tragic trials

She fights with every step to walk life's miles

Her anger the shield with which she faces the dawn

There is no right way to grieve, no manual for moving on