“I have a thirsty fish in me
That can never find enough
Of what it is thirsty for
Show me the way to the ocean…” Rumi, Divan: 1823
The Ocean and You
I would take middle roads, if I must
But I have to warn you,
Walking a sober slow pace is not one of my strengths.
In fact, I usually forget to walk altogether,
Distracted by the wonders of the world around me,
Until something goes wrong,
Panic strikes and the slow are trampled under feet.
Then the whirling me comes to life,
And dances its way through the dead end.
Dancing is one of my strengths.
I am somewhat unusual, I would say
I demand the right to be a foolish moth,
Anytime my heart soars,
Or the urge to fly builds up in my wings.
Sometimes flying into naked flames,
Is the quickest way to touch the glow of life.
And I must admit,
Patience is not one of my strengths.
Are you a moth?
Will you be one for me?
Do you have a dancer inside?
Will you whirl your way through times of separation?
There is so much that I know and yet don’t know about you.
Will you be patient for both of us?
Will you be patient when I ask for what I already have?
When I ask for all of you, all the time?
I understand if you feel scared
By my dancing too close to the flames.
But will you promise not to let giving
Feel like balancing on a tight rope?
When it should really feel like
Opening up to a comforting breeze.
Will you be a river and flow around the boulders that block
Your way?
Being reasonable is not one of my strengths
But I promise not to argue with the shape of the earth.
Whatever you do
You must remember
Always
To let me be the “thirsty fish”
The fish “that never finds enough of what it is thirsty for”
Being able to be thirsty is my true strength
Don’t look for a cure
Just bring the ocean in the palm of your hands
And I will let the joy of drinking every drop
Be a dance to the rhythm of our heartbeats
Piercing the silence of hesitation till the end of time
Remember! Dancing is my other strength.
St. Louis, September 10, 2000