The Wings of the Simorgh

They asked “Where has Chivalry gone, Where did the knight with shining armour go? And the gentleman who treats his date with the utmost respect, With no expectations in return?” They have all entered the tavern of Unity, Where they have hidden themselves from a world filled with abuse, A world filled with soldiers of hate, and glasses filled with rufalin. These chivalrous men stand no chance in a world of such hatred and disrespect That in hiding, they bask in their drunken stupor of their world Those they cared for most have tossed them to the side, Forgotten for their honorable duties, Only the wine of the tavern has been able to fill their chivalrous hearts. At old age, When the fountain of youth has poured its last drop of wine, These men have learned the secrets of the world, And they go back to the homes from whence they had come. There as dervishes, they still drink that potent wine of the tavern, And share their knowledge to the poor and homeless. However t

I was on my way one Saturday, The sun had fallen, And the lights were drawing me towards the flame. As I drew closer I heard the ney, Its song woeful, Singing of its separation from the bed of reeds of which it came. Although I did not understand its plight, I kept following the light, It brought me into a room of men, And women seated on the floor, Dancing to the beats of the drum. The beat was up, And so was I, flying high towards the lights. But these lights were not as that of the sun I was looking for a special one, And then I saw what I was looking for The glare of the watch, its bright reflection called my name And I landed on the owners arm, His eyes widened as he stared at me, And welcomed my company that night. He saw in me the light, As my bright white wings fluttered And when I noticed that there were others, I flew off the watch, And said goodbye, Left through the window from whence I came To take my light to the woods were all paths m

The lovers sit in the large room, All have cleared their minds of everything but the Beloved. The booming Daf, the melancholy Ney, and the entrancing Tambour, All singing about the beauty of the Beloved. As the tempo increases, And the Daf begins to dance, The lovers follow suit, And dance in the name of the Beloved. The hearts of the lovers are tied, All passionately expressing their love for the Beloved. There is no ending to the love these darvishes have for Him, They only mute these passions in daily life. These lovers come from all sorts of paths, From musicians, to intellectuals, From Christians and Jews, But in the eyes of the Beloved, Only love is important, One must cast these other names aside. These names are bricks for the castle of the ego, One must blast away the walls and reveal the ego, To rid yourself of them. O Beloved, May you annihilate the castle of the ego within these Lovers, As they love you more than life itself. Listen to their moan,

The lovers are caught in the beloved’s embrace, But as they are drowning in the ocean of Love, The waves tossing them and dragging them asunder, They accept this fate and dive deeper into the abyss. O Beloved! How does your beauty drive men to die in your name! Remember al-Hallaj and his love for you! He was lost in the ocean of Love, When he found only you within himself. The wine that intoxicated al-Hallaj Led him to reveal to all the whispers of the Beloved. There are dangers when revealing the secrets of the heart, Such things are meant to be whispered between lover and Beloved. This potent wine still flows in the rivers and streams, Even in the blood that our hearts pump. Pass to us this sweet wine, So we can become drunk with love for the Beloved. And one day, when we are all cast into the ocean of Love, Do not swim, as the Love for which the Beloved has for you is vast, Let the slow eternal ebb and flow carry you to the Beloved Where Lover and Beloved will

Do you feel as I do When I see your face, from your smile that lights the sky, to your eyes that glare into my mind? Do you feel as I do, when I am all alone, contemplating on my life's successes and flaws, when your name reminds me of both? Do you feel as I do, when you are sitting next to me, your thighs touching mine? We are caught in a lover's embrace, and like quicksand, the only way out is to move slowly moving to the beating of our synchronized hearts. O Beloved, If you feel as I do, clear your mind of all distractions, and reveal your heart's passions to me! For it is in the house of the Friend, where I shall find you, and we shall forever be Together.

The world is waking from its winter slumber, With the chirping of the robin, The world comes alive once again. The ground receives the spring rains, With open arms, These showers are those that wash away the winter And bring us closer to the warmer weather we have sorely missed. As I see you out in the courtyard, Your smile makes the flowers grin, Their petals laugh to see you once again. See the squirrels chase each other up and down the tall oak tree. They are fresh with excitement, All ready to tease the birds, And sleep under the starry skies. O beloved! Without you, the spring would still be winter, And the world would still be in the ancient slumber. It is your presence that gives the sparrow his voice, And the flower her beauty.

O Beloved, I may be without a Valentine, But who needs one, When there is no such thing as “I” or “We”, There is only “You”! Each inhale and exhale I take is a gift from you, For without you, I would drown in this vast ocean of the universe. But you are my boat, That keeps me afloat, Giving me another day, Another breath. Although the ocean can be rough, With endless waves that toss and turn Even the most experienced of sailors, You direct my body through the crashing waves, Until it is my time to join you, To become the very wood that you were made.

When I was born, I broke open my shell, And was taken swiftly By the ocean’s ebb and flow. When the current settled down, It placed me on the sandy beach. I learned to walk, And find my prey, My shell grew thicker, My claws grew stronger, And then all of a sudden, You found me. When you saw me, You gave me a long hard glace, I saw you too, And from interest, I put my guard down, I closed my claws and just stared back. You flipped me over on my back, And massaged my soft underbelly. I did not know what to do, So I did nothing. Suddenly, You took me, threw me into a smaller beach, with blue walls high beyond my reach, and you carried with yourself. After hours of restlessness, I waited in this dark beach, To be caressed by your hands again. But then, You threw me into an ocean, One as turbulent as the one I was born in, Except this ocean was hot. A heat I could not withstand. Now I am in the sky, As Cancer the Crab, Looking down on you, Asking

The pain of Love Is far too great for man For Love kills men, by destroying the sense of self. O Beloved, With your Love you have ensnared my heart, And now that you leave me, you have taken my heart for yourself. My body lays limp without you, All of my cells working without purpose, For you were the purpose my body worked tirelessly for, Even in my sleep, my head was filled with images of You. I care not for myself, But without you, I do not exist My existence is in memory of yours As I live each passing day, Each heartbeat is for You, Each breath I take is for You.

Though many moons have passed  Since I last saw your face,  I have been in constant remembrance of You.   As busy as the creatures of the woods  Before the winter snow we have been,  But my mind always wanders to You,  As the drunkard thinks of wine,  Even while he is sober.   But like the drunkard,  I will give up my life  To be in your presence forever,  As you are what I live every passing day for.    O Beloved!  Intoxicate me with your presence  For with you, I am nothing.

My Heart beckons for your voice, The voice of the Sirens, Who sent many astray. But with you, O Beloved, To be lost is to be found! In losing myself, I shall find you. This world we live in, With politics destructive and egos grand, Is not a world for us. Look for me in the hidden grove, Where no man can find us. I will be on the road less traveled, as Frost told me to go. The road may be tough, But with you, I have no fears, But one, losing you. So dear Beloved, Use your light and show me the Path, So once I am lost, I can never be found.

O Beloved!  So far have I looked for You,  Across mountains and valleys,  In lands far and near,  Yet using my eyes,  I have failed to find you.   You hide,  Like children do in games,  Running through the primordial woods  Of my mind  While the beating of my heart,  Pushes you further, deeper into the abyss.  I opened my heart,  There You were Dressed in gold.  You offered me wine,  Which I drank until I was intoxicated with Love,  A love no religion can teach,  No money can buy.   When I awoke from the drunken stupor of Love,  The hangover made me long for more,  As once again  You went into hiding.  O beloved!  Bestow your light upon me  Show yourself to me  So once again I can become drunk  With wine of the Beloved.

How could the religious say they all know the spiritual path when their egos blind the eyes of the heart? One must lose their senses of the world  to find the one true sense, Love.  For it is with the sense of Love, the lover may drink the wine of the Beloved, and find the Path religions has failed to find. This path is not easy to follow, It has twists and turns like the Nile, Yet travels as slow as Everglades, Perpetually still in time, As if time itself is no longer a restriction. O Nourbakhsh! Help us close our eyes and find the path we seek! For the Beloved has smiled upon your face, And you, looking inwardly, have smiled back.