Sometimes when words break out of their usual containers ... they find ways to go beyond words .. to build bridges from language to the understanding that exists outside of language. Post poems ... discuss poems ... link to poetry sites.

This is an active poetry dialog that has been ongoing at my profile page:

Poetry Dialog ii.

C. Barks Translation of Rumi
---------------------------------------------------

Close the Language-Door
There is some kiss we want
with our whole lives,
the touch of Spirit on the body.

Seawater begs the pearl
to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild Darling!

At night, I open the window
and ask the moon to come
and press its face against mine.
Breathe into me.

Close the language-door,
and open the love-window

The moon won't use the door,
only the window. ---- J. Rumi

i do belive in the power of poetic language to express the un-expressable!
much love,
brett

It is interesting reading the last part of that Rumi poem again :

Close the language-door,
and open the love-window

The moon won't use the door,
only the window

To reflect on language and the limits of trying to use words to express our experiences that have gone so far beyond words .... sometimes it seems that words minimize an experience and actually take some energy away from it , and Castenada talks about that alot ... Don Juan tells him that he shouldn't tell all of his stories because in the process of converting them to words , he is reducing them in his own mind .....

I like to think that we can use words , images , and music to build a bridge , open a window , create a desire , etc. The rest is up to each individual , and the experience of crossing that bridge , or flying out the window will probably be a private experience .....

It is like the famous line 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao...'

But still we feel like we must try to tell the story.

that of course, is whats so great about experience. and i would agree with you saying that text hides some of the energy of the experince presented in context...waht are words anyways? Symbols of perceptions...but the beautiful thing about poetry is the ability to construct th wrods to go beyond the words and try to fill the blank page with the experience as close as you can get to the real thing with the text. yes, i belvei i said that how i thoght it...but wait, is that possible!? ah-ha!

Sufi Radio

By James Bean

Mixed Media: Book Reviews, Website Reviews, Music Reviews

Website Review

Spirit Heart Radio.com:

Spirit Heart Radio

Was surfing the web the other day and discovered a fantastic site called Spirit Heart Radio, a Sufi website featuring six online MP3 spiritual radio stations. There are links to these sound-streams on the main page. There is "Rumi and Hafiz" featuring Sufi poetry readings twenty four hours a day. "Zikrs" is the around the clock Sufi Zikr chant service. Also available is the "Pir Vilayat Meditation" stream, two stations featuring international or world music with spiritual themes and, "Modern Musicians", which is a channel dedicated to electronica and ambient sounds.

Thanks James :

within the infinite

within the infinite lie all things
so i step inside
and from within i bring
a secret, which to you i'll confide
to obtain happiness
we must align all the voices inside
life has it's ups and downs
it's sages and it's clowns
smiles and frowns
you choose which you will be
as for me
i'll take a little from collum a
and a little from collum b
fuck the left and the right
i'll take the center
and i just might
stop being blinded by the light
and the darkness i'll stop trying to fight
realize i'm not a human a man or white
i'm me im we
we are
and nothing that happens can change that shit
i'm sick of it
tired of us putting us down
i look around
and other of a like mind abound
yet we are taught to fear change
to me thats deranged
or at least demented
i said what i said and i meant it
you could say it's cemented
so i sign my name before it dries
i'm down for anyone who tries
so try and try again
and try not to get caught up in the spin
close your eyes relax and let your life begin

~me

i love people

i love people
with them we're more than equal
to the sum of our parts
communication is where it starts
it's how we refine our hearts
pain and pleasure
experience is the treasure
for which we all seek
i saw the edge of reality and beyond i have peeked
what i realized is not for the weak
it's not even for the strong
it's for the short and the long
the right and the wrong
the poem and the song
the thought and action
desire and passion
my mind is free from traction
some might ask, how'd that happen
it's all in the questions i be askin
stop paying attention to all the flashing
lights, that were binding my mind
talked to my self so i could find
myself
dealt with issues that had been placed on the shelf
in the back of my mind
and a wealth of information did i find
i remembered things i thought had been lost to time
dusted them off and made them shine
released pent up emotion
what a novel notion
you see there is no magick potion
memorys need coaxing
who can say why we remember what we do
would i be different if remembered differently then i do
anyways these are my words to you
which is me
which is we
which is me
which is you

~me

i come from the chosen

I come from the chosen
Meaning those who choose
If you make your own choices you never loose
There’s joy in every achievement
And a lesson in every mistake
It’s not the goals we seek
But the path we take

I see deception before my eyes
A government who is founded on deceit and lies
An elaborate presentation
A distorted representation
I hope you pay attention
See past just the third dimension
Step outside of time and space
And look America square in the face
Realize we are not this benevolent place
Who lends a helping hand to man kind
In fact if you look closely you may just find
America is involved in atrocities that would blow your mind
And so I ask why to this are people blind
Is it due in part the information were fed
Or do some people simply wish to be led
Or is it something that’s inbred
Meaning passed from generation to generation
We need to spread knowledge or a desolate future we’ll be facing
Items instead of ways of being they have us chasing
Happiness should be our goal
Not things that can be bought and sold
It feels like many have allowed there hearts to grow cold
Tend to believe what they are told
Want to fit a certain mold
Of who they think we should be
All I want is to be free
To be able to see
The beauty in the world I live
And hope that in my learning I have knowledge to give
Knowledge to share
Hopefully come across others who care
About themselves and others in turn
Others who are willing to unlearn
That which our government and corporations have burned
Into our collective mindset
I feel remorse yet never regret
Decisions I make
With precision I take
The time to find the lesson hidden within
I realize there was no beginning
And there will be no end
But try and try and try is the message I send
Do not sub comb to there programming
You must constantly defend
Your mind body and spirit
Personal power, realize they fear it
From our minds they wish to shear it
And gear it towards a sheepish way of being
know what i mean?

~me

there comes

There comes a time
There comes a place
There comes a mind
There comes a face

The time is now, here
The place is nowhere
The mind is now clear
The face is the one we now wear

live life with out worry
Take things step by step and try not to hurry
Otherwise your life might become quite blurry

when it could be clear as glass
we just need to get up off of our mental ass
and realize it’s about class
social castes
believe it or not there ain’t any more
except rich and poor
humans we all are
no matter how long or far
people want to spread the truth
we are all one people, to the contrary there is no proof
so the rich have had time on there hands
they’ve been rich since before Caucasians came to these lands
and just like royalty they keep there family in tight little clans
blood is thicker than water
money and power
get passed down to child from mother and father
I feel dirty I think I need a shower
The same people who have always told us what to do
Still do
I don’t know about you
But I thinks it’s time we over threw
the tyranny they’ve put us through
these rose colored glasses they have us seeing through
I’m through being quite
Influencing others, hmmm I think I just might
Get others to fight
For goals beyond there sights
Try and refine your soul and you just might
Contribute to the human experience
We are equal to the sum of our parts
And remember for things to change they have to start
So spread understanding, compassion and love, The art of the heart
Be it, don’t play the part
Infect the group conscience with positive thought
create for our sake, not whether or not they’ll be bought
and by others of a like mind you’ll be sought
and you can teach them and in turn be taught
oh I’m getting hot under the collar
but then again I pause and reflect and say why bother
I’d rather stay cool calm collected
Peace understanding and love must be protected
Knowledge must be collected
The path humans are on must be corrected
We need to realize we are all connected
Every woman every man
Every tree every lamb
The mountains the seas and the sky
Everyone with green blue and brown eyes
All the girls and the guys
If your smart and skinny
If your fat and a ninny
The few and the many
The good and the plenty
We are
So lets see how far
We can progress
Let’s shoot for divinity, no less
But if we fail lets not stress
It’s the trying I enjoy, I must profess
Reality is transitory any definite answer is really a guess
Anyone saying otherwise should be treated as a pest
You know like congress
And the senate and the house
Don’t believe a word that comes out they mouth
Subterfuge and control is what there about
The things they do have me wanting to shout
REVOLUTION
For too long our minds they’ve been polluting
They want us to believe America is benevolent
When it was founded on genocide
A simple fact they’d like us to forget
1000’s of cultures had to die for you to be where you now sit
The nazi’s tried, but we did it
There is no try only do
More will die before we are through
Isn’t it time we grew up
This is water in my cup
I gotta keep my mind clear
So I can see like a seer
See the world through eyes not clouded by fear
So when I succeed all the parts that make up me, cheer
Cause to myself I’m quite dear
My best friend lives in a mirror
I am him and he is me
What was once one became two became three
And now spreads out into infinity

~me

Abraxus Wrote:

Sufi Radio

By James Bean



Mixed Media: Book Reviews, Website Reviews, Music Reviews



Website Review



Spirit Heart Radio.com:



Spirit Heart Radio



Was surfing the web the other day and discovered a fantastic site called Spirit Heart Radio, a Sufi website featuring six online MP3 spiritual radio stations. There are links to these sound-streams on the main page. There is "Rumi and Hafiz" featuring Sufi poetry readings twenty four hours a day. "Zikrs" is the around the clock Sufi Zikr chant service. Also available is the "Pir Vilayat Meditation" stream, two stations featuring international or world music with spiritual themes and, "Modern Musicians", which is a channel dedicated to electronica and ambient sounds.



Thanks James :

yay!! This is awesome!! Thanks!

'within the infinite lie all things
so i step inside
and from within i bring
a secret, which to you i'll confide
to obtain happiness
we must align all the voices inside
'

Excellent!

So how do we do this .... because the voices all have different intentions and come from different periods of our live's , and they reflect different people we looked up to , and people we feared , people we loved and people we wanted to be free of .... so now that we are trying to choose one voice that we can call our own ... how do we follow that path?

Abraxus Wrote:
'within the infinite lie all things

so i step inside

and from within i bring

a secret, which to you i'll confide

to obtain happiness

we must align all the voices inside

'



Excellent!



So how do we do this .... because the voices all have different intentions and come from different periods of our live's , and they reflect different people we looked up to , and people we feared , people we loved and people we wanted to be free of .... so now that we are trying to choose one voice that we can call our own ... how do we follow that path?

talk to them

when you observe that one of them has risen to the surface of your mind actually communicate with your self and see why it feels the way it does. There is a reason for all of our emotions, most stemming from when we were children and had not the reasoning power of our tempered minds to be able to see that in every experience there is an oportunity for growth and change. The memories we hold on too, at least the ones that effect us the greatest, we tend to not choose ourselves. Is it due to the fact that when the experience happened we did not learn the lesson within it. If so is the reason we hold onto those memories because the lesson was integral in us becoming who we become and therefore the mind holds onto it until we are able to reexamine it and learn that lesson.

i know talking to your self to some may seem crazy but all of us do it to a certain extent, the trick is taking it to the next level and having conversations with your self.
Be objective and non-judgemental of your self, realize everyone makes mistakes and no one deserves to pay for them forever.

and as for them having different intentions, again talk to them and find out what they are. I tend to think that they all have one intention, to unify our minds into being.

"there are lessons in every action and inaction, it is the resonsibility of the conscious mind to recognize them and use them as stepping stones in the development of self"
~me

Since abraxus usually removes o rmoves my writing for being in the wrong place I searched through the already created posts and decided this could best fit here. I have been going through so extremely simple/hard times. I am in situations I never thought I would walk across and I am not dealing with them the way I had so prepared myself. I haven't been writing or meditating or even eating right. I have missed out on going to the Gym and various other parts of life that helped balance me. I have become someone who I do not recognize and am following methods of destruction. I notice the HIGH presence of Ego sometimes and fade in and out between the centered me and this other me that is my opposite... almsot to a T. I am usually very understanding and calm. able to look at the world open minded and carry with that many different veiw points. Now some upsides out of all this is that I have created a lot of motion in my life with getting back into school reapplying myself to a foreign language and all around motivation. The best I can explain this is I fell for a woman and became someone who I do not enjoy and carries an overall ¿selfish¿ or lack there of need for acceptance . I have gone so long just being content with myself and my accomplishments and it really caught me off guard that I brought such an abrubt lesson to myself through this woman. Things are getting back on the up and up again since I am here writing after returning from the gym.. just in these words I feel much much more centered and balanced. I finally am starting to put my effort back into effortlessness and that is where my journy continues. Now the point of me choosing this thread was because I wanted to let flow a poem and see what showed up.. the above is jsut a quick catch up in short form of what has kept me away. I hope my return of self remains in it's eternity ad that I no longer attempt to blind myself.

The wind carries with it the times of change. Time is eternal and all stays the same. as you sink to the bottom you emerge from the top, then along comes change in a fresh new rain drop. Feel free as you float out amongst the space. As you give into the flow as you sit and retrace the path you move forward and this time that you grace. Open mind and lower eyes to the things that you seek and then let go your grip and fall to your peak. This light that shines greatly deep within your soul, is easily shadowed when you demand of it a toll. So flip over your palms to face towards the ground and let slip the grip and rejoin with your sounds. Let this wind wash over body and mind, then let your spirit guide you through the changes of time.

X

The Essential Mystics - Rumi
Edited by Andrew Harvey


Borrow the Beloved's eyes.


Look through them and you'll see the Beloved's face
everywhere. No tiredness, no jaded boredom.
"I shall be your eye and your hand and your loving."
Let that happen, and things
you have hated will become helpers.



A certain preacher always prays long and with enthusiasm
for thieves and muggers that attack people
on the street. "Let your mercy, O Lord,
cover their insolence."
He doesn't pray for the good,
but only for the blatantly cruel.
Why is this? his congregation asks

"Because they have done me such generous favors.
Every time I turn back toward the things they want,
I run into them. They beat me and leave me nearly dead
in the road, and I understand, again, that what they want
is not what I want. They keep me on the spiritual path.
That's why I honor them and pray for them."
Those that make you return, for whatever reason,
to God's solitude, be grateful to them.
Worry about the others, who give you
delicious comforts that keep you from prayer.
Friends are enemies sometimes
and enemies are Friends.


There is an animal called an ushghur, a porcupine.
If you hit it with a stick, it extends its quills
and gets bigger. The soul is a porcupine,
made strong by stick-beating.

Ive never had an urge to put a name to my writings. Either way, they're fairly short, so I'll post a few.

My balance knows no shame as I walk
the softly darkened streets.
Starlight illuminates the echoes of my movement
and I beg casually for some manner of release
from the piercing observation.
So lets placidly return to the habitual nightmare
once more allow the illusiory scenery to
dissuade your conciousness
of any scence of futility.



On this cold gray morning
the predawn casting a symbiotic twilight
that filters the sidewalk and foilage
into something almost familiar
and now we fill these seats
with a shattered delusion of seperation
that seeps through the windows
reminding me to never look back
to covered ground for a new perspective
on a spinning monotony


(this one is a collaboration I made with a good friend)

Nothing difinitive on such simple wings
the pristine understanding seems quite beyond me
Did the skies clear as you died here upon the pavement
or will the dream hover within the question even then
A spectrum in the darkness that we're requiered to reach
and yet somehow we are the light
that must pass through the crystal
New understandings so opposite
of what we knew before
now its searching for an answer to an equation with no rules
As we're walking down this starry road
with streetlights of surrender and wonder
casting sporadic mists of illumination.
And as we are painted in twilight
We see it all at once
the perfect circle
curvature of eternity beckoning


I just wanted to say that everyone's poetry that Ive read has been a unique insight- an approach from an unguessed-at angle. Thank you all for that.