After years of indoctrination
In which there was always a way
that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof is the way of death*
Aching eyes of my heart saw a deeper truth in these words:
that the way that judges the rightness of a way leads to death of the spirit.
So, I left the Country of One Way and lit out, like Tom Sawyer, down the river.
Took out of that river here in a messy place:
The Country of No Right Way.
Our borders are semi-permeable to our beloved neighbors:
The Country of No Wrong Way.
Our patron saint is Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad, beloved Rumi.
Among other crazy things, he stands on mountains and out in deserts and spouts craziness:
"Out beyond the idea of wrong doing or right doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there."
Having made that tryst, it's natural to desire to live in that field.
But in the Land-of-no-right-way-and-no-wrong-way,
the living grayness is shaded and variegated.
it is striated, secularized, homogenized.
Without constant, unceasing vigilance,
the grays subtly become the new
right or wrong.
There is a way that seemeth right...and if black and white don't grab us
shades of gray may suffice.
* Proverbs 14:12
This poem is an entry to the Totally Optional Prompts weekly writing invitations. This week's topic is 'One Way'.
| Share this post : |
 |
 |
del.icio.us Tags:
Rumi, Totally Optional Prompts