It is no small gift to witness others in their struggles and their joys. We recall the drama of struggle more readily because pain sits deep within us with so many lives that are troubled and we lean towards light; we yearn to make peace and joy...because we are good. It is a long forgotten and often buried good but people are good, none the less. When we remember it, we can celebrate and bask in the joy of life. In between, we struggle with what it means to be alive.
This world, though beautiful, is not easy. We are hurled into change and growth at every juncture. What's more, we are never alone. To be in someone's life and be some kind of active catalyst or passive witness is holy work. One doesn't think automatically of troubling others as holy work but it is. We need to be pressed and agitated and sometimes threatened to go beyond ourselves. It is not in our nature to transform and grow willingly. We would never make it out of the security and warmth of our mother's womb if it were just up to us. No. We must be pushed out. Others are involved right from our first breath.
Hafiz talks in this poem about standing back and witnessing like god, these "holy dances" knowing full well that we all will expire
Panting
Like a great falling
Star
Thank you for listening.
Video: This powerful song written by Trent Reznor and performed here by Johnny Cash is called Hurt. It is beyond heart rendering in its confession and performance. Life feels so very consequential at times and it is made worse with misunderstanding our natures where shame and fear dictate our ideas of ourselves and others. The fragility of being a human being is always aided by being witnessed. This is how we learn, heal and how we celebrate.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz (including an addendum regarding the authenticity of these poems) can be found here. Also, my thoughts on this series a year into these poems, HERE.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.
My book can be purchased HERE. E-book HERE. The Season Two blogcasts with audio excerpts from my book begin HERE: in Behind The Lines. This reading of the book excerpts in a mixed media format is Season Two of this blog. These recorded excerpts are outside the chronological order in which the book was written. Podcasts with audio only beginning with episode 22 can be found HERE.
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