To Be a Fisherman, or a Father, You Must
Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Do not claim them. Feel the artistry
moving through, and be silent.
—Rumi, from “Body Intelligence”
Know that inside the glistening bodies of fish, within secret
Envelopes wonder compels us to tear open, there lie, like ore,
Vast stretches of empty hours, mined from our lives, time
Invested in the pursuit of mere existence, of letting our own
Natural radiance loose, and nothing more, and nothing less.
And so you float upon the heavens-heavy surface of the water,
Looking at neither side of the reflection, but rather at your own
Inner burning, from which a new kind of love is being forged.
Like starlight, having traversed centuries to catch your son’s
Attention while he studies his own window of night, your soul,
Keeping time with breath, also travels between the living
And the lost, between life’s riddles and its blessings. You see,
Nothing depends on the catch. Rather, true wisdom is rooted
In casting yourself into the growing grandeur of this new love.
From The Rumpus, January 7, 2017
Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Do not claim them. Feel the artistry
moving through, and be silent.
—Rumi, from “Body Intelligence”
Know that inside the glistening bodies of fish, within secret
Envelopes wonder compels us to tear open, there lie, like ore,
Vast stretches of empty hours, mined from our lives, time
Invested in the pursuit of mere existence, of letting our own
Natural radiance loose, and nothing more, and nothing less.
And so you float upon the heavens-heavy surface of the water,
Looking at neither side of the reflection, but rather at your own
Inner burning, from which a new kind of love is being forged.
Like starlight, having traversed centuries to catch your son’s
Attention while he studies his own window of night, your soul,
Keeping time with breath, also travels between the living
And the lost, between life’s riddles and its blessings. You see,
Nothing depends on the catch. Rather, true wisdom is rooted
In casting yourself into the growing grandeur of this new love.
From The Rumpus, January 7, 2017