Writing Spiritual Poetry

1 Jamal 164 B.E. – Saturday, April 28, 2007

Writing any genre of poetry is difficult, but composing spiritual poetry may be more difficult then any other. When you start to write you begin with the inspiration and then you attempt to put the inspiration on paper or type it into a document file. This is where the “fun” begins. It’s not easy transforming the inspiration into a poem. Once you write the words and put them into the form of stanza and line or a prose poem, you have to decide if it reflects the idea you had to begin with. Sometimes it does, however, most of the time it doesn’t, when it happens then you rewrite until you get it as close as you can your original idea.

What is Spiritual Poetry?

14 Jalal 164 B.E. – Sunday, April 22, 2007

For me spiritual poetry is any poem written about God, a spiritual experience, or seeking the eternal Beloved. I read spiritual poetry from several different religious traditions and they all have one thing in common. That is the lover’s experience in relation to the divine essence. Any poem can talk about this experience. Just because a poem appears to refer to nature or daily work or some other subject, doesn’t mean the poet isn’t talking about spiritual experiences or theme. When reading all forms, themes and subjects of poems, we need to look deeper into the poem to find out its true meaning rather than just accepting what’s on the surface.

ZZZZZZZZZ

10 Jalal 164 B.E. – Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The sleep and dream about stars,
about planets warmed by their fires,
about civilizations proclaiming God’s love,
about sacred scriptures revealing the Divine will.

Yes

9 Jalal 164 B.E. - Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Yes, Yes,
I answer twice your invitation,
Beloved.

Yes,
I follow you
through the valley of the shadow
and walk with you through paradise.

Yes,
Beloved,
your presence makes shadow’s valley
a paradise without compare.

Yes, Yes,
my answer to your question:
“Am I not your Lord?”
Yes and again, I proclaim yes.

Xylophone

8 Jalal 164 B.E. - Monday, April 16, 2007

Wooden hammers strike wooden bars
Tones reverberate though the atmosphere,
Like a child learning to strike wooden keys
I learn to pray
As I read word by word
Verses revealed by the Pen of God’s Glory.

Wind

6 Jalal 164 B.E. – Saturday, April 14, 2007

What is the definition of gusty?
Is it wind that blows then stops and then blows again?
Not unlike the spiritual and material tests
Descending from time to time on God’s lovers.

Virtues

3 Jalal 164 B.E. - Wednesday, April 11, 2007

These are the fruits of the spirit
reflected from the mirror of our soul
revealed as we strive with test
which clean and shines the glass.

Unity

2 Jalal 164 B.E. – Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Ultimately, God provides the definition for any word or concept,
New definitions revealed by God become the image of the word itself
In this age, God has given humanity a new vision of unity
That goes beyond earlier concepts and
Yesterday’s definition of harmony.

Thanksgiving

17 Baha 164 B.E. – Friday, April 06, 2007

Saying thank you to God
isn’t for just one day of the year
it’s a daily pleasure.

Joy is in gratitude,
which takes a person beyond self
into the realm of faith.

At specific times of year
gratitude and thanksgiving
become the focus.

Ridvan approaches,
Baha’u’llah’s declaration
in the Garden of Ridvan.

Twelve days in the Garden,
then He left Bagdad
at the request of the authorities
of the time.

Twelve days in the Garden,
three Holy Days
this is the time of thanksgiving and praise.

Three Holy Days,
the first Day,
the ninth Day
and the twelfth Day.

Twelve days in the Garden
and each day roses
outside his tent.

I sing the praises of God,
I give thanks for these sacred days,
I raise my voice in gratitude.

Thank You,
for the Glory of God,
for the revelation at Ridvan.

Soul

16 Baha 164 B.E. - Thursday, April 05, 2007

Secret hidden in the self
Open to spiritual reality
Unique part of humanity
Loves God and want to be faithful to the Beloved

Reasons

12 Baha 164 B.E. – Sunday, April 1, 2007


1

God created humanity to know and love Him.
God’s love reaches us through our love for Him.
The purpose of humanity is to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.
The purpose of the individual is to know and love God.
The purpose of God revealing Himself through His Manifestations is to help us know and love Him.
Knowledge of God helps us reflect divine attributes.
Tests and difficulties polish the soul’s mirror so the individual can reflect divine attributes.

2

Beloved,
thank you for giving me reason to love you,
and to love humanity.

3

The reasons we do thing abound,
the Divine essence gives us reasons to live, pray and work,
the focus of our desires reveals the reasons we act the way we do.

4

Beloved,
help me to discover the reasons I act as I do,
the reasons I pray as I do
the reasons I live as I do,
and the reasons I work as I do.

Beloved,
help me to change my reasons
and bring them into accordance with your reasons.

5

The reason the sunrises is to light the world.
The reason God reveals himself is to help humanity achieve His will.
The reason civilization advances is know to God.

6

Beloved,
thank you for allowing me to know and love You,
thank you for revealing Your will to humanity,
thank you for Baha’u’llah,
the Pen of Your Glory,
thank you for the tests that polish the mirror of my soul.