I learned a new language
To forget about the harsh wind.
I learned a new language
To forget about forgetting the wind.
I learned a new language
To grow wings.
And I flew
Through the familiar forests,
Beyond the gentle hills,
Over to the lonely summit.
May I rest here?
I spoke with words I didn’t know.
I sang with words I didn’t know.
I dreamt in words I didn’t know.
It made the rocks rumble.
It makes the pebbles scatter.
It made the land slide.
And my wings were struck.
I fluttered,
and fluttered.
I frayed,
and frayed.
I failed,
and failed.
I heard a voice…
Was it the torrent?
Was it the pine tree?
Was it the lone wolf?
It was you.
And I sang,
how I sang!
And I paused….
and listened,
and waited,
and waited,
What was this song?
Your gentle and earnest answer?
A trick woven by rustling leaves?
An fading echo of my own plea.
Foolish little thrush.
What language must you learn this time?
What lesson must you learn this time?
What direction must you learn this time?
Where?
Why?
How?
Tired,
tired little wings.
Broken,
broken little heart.
Shattered,
shattered little dream.
You were too slow.
You were too trusting.
You were too gentle,
To avoid the hurling hale.
To evade the rushing rain,
To escape the swirling river.
And now your beak is full of sand.
And now your wings are full of muck.
And now your heart is leaden with moss.
How will you escape again?
How will you hope again?
How will you learn again?
And you wait,
wait forever.
To hear that distant melody again.
Do you remember,
When the world stood still.
When the morning was still.
When we both stood still.
How quiet it was.
How peaceful it was.
How fragile it was.
Listening.
Yearning.
Hoping.
They said,
It was the end of an era.
It was the end of a story.
It was the end of the world.
But we stood still…
And listened,
To the birds sighing.
And yearned,
For our hands to knot.
And hoped,
For the distance to melt-
They said,
Death, death,
Everywhere.
We said,
Love, love,
Everywhere.
And yet,
the birds kept on tweeting.
And yet,
our hands kept on yearning.
And yet,
our distance kept on hoping.
But we are still waiting.
Waiting for this page to turn,
Waiting for this fear to burn,
Waiting for this love to yearn.
Yearn,
Yearn,
Still yearning…
To hold,
To touch,
To kiss.
And still, they cry
Death,
Death,
Death!
What of those hands,
Who hold on to air?
What of those cheeks,
Who are kissed by the wind?
What of those hearts,
Who are embraced by darkness?
All those voices calling
through the curtain of rain.
All those shoulders shaking,
through the hours of night.
All those smiles fading,
Through the shield of masks.
Echo through me.
And we pray,
And we hope,
And we promise,
Once this is over…
We will hold & cherish.
We will keep & love.
We will kiss & reach.
No one will be forgotten…
Not those who kept on going.
Not those who faded away.
Not those who stumbled down.
Never forgotten.
And you,
Oh you my dear.
My hope,
My secret,
My hidden gem.
Oh you...
You hear it,
You sense it,
You feel it,
What cannot be written yet.
And I join those who are waiting.
And I join those who are yearning.
And I join those who are hoping.
As we pray…
For the night to be over,
For the masquerade to be over,
For the battle to be over…
And for the joy of homecoming.
And for the joy of reunions.
And for the joy of shared laughter.
Believing,
Hoping,
Knowing,
We will get there.
We will live through.
We will rise over.
Those shadows…
Until we reach the pale dawn.
Until we reach the crescent moon.
Until we reach the next ridge,
That little cabin in the woods.
That bright window in the night.
That open door in the cold.
… And solace.
To the firm shoulders
Carrying me.
To the warm embrace,
Holding me.
To the gentle gaze,
Watching me.
How near you are,
yet adrift.
As the winter becomes summer,
As the night becomes dawn,
As the continents become islands.
All must change.
All must flourish.
All must fade.
To that house,
With that cheerful sunroom.
To those forests,
With secret passages.
To that pasture,
With sleepy cows.
How familiar,
How mundane,
How boring
How real you are,
yet you are fading.
Whether the crows fly off,
and return.
Whether the trees shed,
and bloom.
Whether I leave,
or stay.
I cannot stop
The irrevocable,
The ever faster,
The ever absolute,
Pace of change.
It’s two in the morning,
Already two in the afternoon.
The nightingale has turned into a sparrow.
A sparrow will turn into a nightingale.
On and on,
Until they come for the trees.
And endurer we must
The irrevocable,
The ever faster,
The ever absolute,
Pace of change.
As we grow,
As we stretch,
As we bend,
Until we become the earth.
Did it really happen?
It must have.
But you must let it fade…
The past,
The future,
Into the present.
Listen oh listen!
Weary traveller
Listen oh Listen !
The night is full of life…
As they sleep on,
As they dream on,
As they breathe on,
Outside,
The night is thriving…
The thrill of the thrush
The whisper of the nightjar
The dreams of the nightingale.
And the owls,
asking, always, asking.
Beyond them,
You can hear the cowbells.
You can hear the shivering trees.
You can hear the distant horizon.
How can they sleep
When the forest is calling.
When the night is awakening.
When the silence is a hymn.
Those who sleep do not know…
Time is but a cloud.
Time is but a speck.
Time is but a lull.
And beyond it,
Night stretches from one mountain to the next.
Peace filters through one branch to the next.
Eternity glows through one instant to the next.
Hold my hand,
Hear my voice,
Heed my song.
Let us not despair.
Let us not forget.
Let us not cry.
The pink moon rise over the laced branches.
The amber dawn will rise over the gem studded sky.
The blackbird’s voice will rise over the sighs of the nightingale.
And hope will be rekindled.
Lulling the pace of change.
Into a song.
Into a call.
Into a sigh.
05/04/21
When the nights are torn apart,
With whirling winds,
With worrisome words,
With weary whispery.
I toss and turn,
My hair like the ocean,
My arms like the tempest,
My head like the galaxies.
Is there a rhythm in my restlessness?
Is there fear in my restlessness?
Is there hope in my restlessness?
Change,
All must change.
Yesterday’s old house
Tomorrow’s complex.
Yesterday’s apple tree,
Tomorrow’s flats.
Yesterday’s childhood,
Tomorrow’s old age.
How can it be?
Ten years ago?
Twenty years ago?
Thirty years ago?
Dear Lord,
How can it be?
If I’m growing like a withered oak tree,
What about them?
I see tiredness where there was a spring.
I see confusion where there was sharpness.
I see exhaustion where there was patience.
There is no respite,
from the whirling of the galaxies,
from the cycling of the seasons,
from the momentum of the years.
On and on,
Until no more.
Unless I turn my face to the One.
And I remember,
What my mind cannot remember.
What my heart cannot remember.
What only my soul can remember.
That lone ship who survived,
Through death,
Through destruction,
Through destitution,
To the dawn…
By the Grace of Our Creator,
By the Mercy of Our Creator,
By the Love of Our Creator.
The distant stars glimmering,
The loud waves crashing,
The quiet soul longing.
And my heart stops racing.
And my thoughts stop pacing.
And my soul stops crashing.
All those stories,
All those songs,
All those sighs,
Tell the same tale.
The world may crash and burn.
The world may change and spin.
The world may vanish and return.
Rootless,
Anchor-less
Borderless
We sail on.
On wings of twinkling stars,
On wings of frothy waves,
On wings of steadfast faith.
There is no fear in the horizon.
Only,
Infinite Peace.
Only,
Eternal Light.
Only,
Timeless Presence.
How small a human life is,
for the hungry heart of a galaxy.
How vast a human body is,
for the nucleus of a cell.
How intricate a human destiny is,
for the ever abiding Angels.
And the morning comes,
With a chorus of twitterings,
With a ruffle of wings,
With a soft whisper.
The nightingale stops for a bite.
The robin drops in for a visit.
The sparrows never linger for long.
How familiar are their ways…
Like the return of the spring,
Like the return of the morning,
Like the return of his wooing.
Change,
All must change.
Except the truth that remains true.
Except for the past that remains passed.
Except for Our Creator who remains the One who created
Us.
You.
Me.
Change,
Let it all change.
Change,
Let me change.
Change,
Let yourself change.
Our essence,
Our soul,
Our love,
are safe in His Hands.
03/04/21
There is the desire to plunge,
There is the desire of the abyss,
There is the desire of the darkness.
Just forget it.
Just let it rot.
Just let it dry.
Why even bother?
Oh but there’s also a scent.
From a flower,
both familiar yet exotic.
Oh but there’s also a song.
From a voice,
both familiar yet foreign.
Oh but there’s a hope.
From a name,
Both familiar yet outlandish.
All mingled,
All intertwined,
All melting.
Into a single burst.
Is it divine love?
Your branches are too heavy,
to carry me.
Your core is too hollow,
to hold me.
Your stem is too thin,
to find me.
But your roots are so deep…
Under the cool darkness,
Under the cover of dreams,
Under the rich canopy of life,
Our souls meet,
Our hearts beat,
Our souls merge.
I am not strong either.
My wings are tired,
My song is wavering.
My flight is halted.
How to go?
Where to go?
When to go?
Must I leave?
I ask the ever glimmering stars.
I ask the ever roaring winds.
I ask the ever rising sun.
What would they know?
I turn inward,
I turn upward,
I turn, turn and turn Home.
Hush,
Let me listen.
Heart,
Soul,
Time,
Hush,
Let me listen.
Deep,
deep in the night.
Late,
late in the tide.
Far,
far away from you.
There’s a mournful cry.
There’s a longing plea.
There’s a soft surrender.
What is spoken to a heart,
What is poured in a soul,
What is etched in a mind,
from Above,
Cannot be explained.
Cannot be written.
Cannot be rhymed.
And yet I try.
The waves crash over us.
The mountains rise over us.
The dust storms rise over us.
And there’s only one thought…
I must hold on to that branch.
I must hold on to that hope.
I must hold on to that song.
Oh they rage,
those squalls.
Oh they rage,
those thoughts.
Oh they rage,
those hours.
But I hold on…
Losing my feathers,
Losing my direction,
Losing my tune,
Have I lost it?
Yet,
All tempest must end…
And tomorrow,
I will pour my love to your heart.
And tomorrow,
We will pray from our soul and heart.
And tomorrow,
We will watch those flowers blossom in our heart.
For,
that garden belongs to both of us
For,
those prayers belong to both of us.
For,
that heart belong to both of us.
You & me.
Me & you.
Us.
There’s no turning back, isn’t it?
There is a distance between us.
It’s like the veil of a misty morn.
It’s like the waves of a restless sea
It’s like the silence before dawn.
I keep my words inside a locket.
And when they start to grow.
And when they they start to blossom..
And when the start to bare fruits.
I stitch them with gold into an embroidery.
I give them wings to become prayers.
I give them a rhythm to turn them into a lullaby.
And my heart fills up,
And my heart glow away,
And my heart flow from,
All this unspoken love.
In the wordy whirlwind of this furious world.
In the constant racket of this blind horde.
In the ever growing surfeit of this starving mob,
You are a lulling whisper,
You are a gentle feather.
You are a calm haven.
When you speak,
Your words are seeds.
Your voice is a breeze.
Your prayer is an ease.
How gentle,
How calm,
How silent.
Is this the way Home?
I want to take you to the mountains
I want to dance with you in the waves.
I want to hold you in a thick forest.
Lost,
Wandering,
Lost,
but Home.
Up that slop,
By that beach,
Under those trees,
Let’s build that little cabin.
Lets build that safe fortress.
Let’s build that gentle haven.
A quiet place,
Where we can both heal.
Where we can both grow.
Where we can bot howl.
You and me.
Me and you.
Us.
Distance
stretches
crosses
collapses.
Illusions.
I hear your voice,
even if you are quiet.
You hear my voice,
even if I am far away.
We hear each other’s hearts,
even if we have never collided.
Where is that distance now?
The distance between one galaxy to the other.
The distance from a nucleolus and the membrane.
The distance between a heartbeat and a heartbeatt.
Crumbs,
Dust,
Sigh.
My love,
I am yours.
You are mine.
And we are God’s.
Space,
Time,
Mountains.
Who fears them when you have God on your side?
Layla Ali Sultan 