Sometimes in the middle of a crowd

Jamál (Beauty), 6 Rahmat (Mercy), 165 BE – Sunday, June 29, 2008 about 2:20 PM PDT

Sometimes in the middle of a crowd,
I am lonely
looking for someone I cannot find
or for an item that cannot be found
in any mall
or shopping center in town.

It is at these times I retreat
into to solitude of prayer;
I withdraw
from the chaos of civilization
into the tranquility
of a garden
where I find hidden
between a bed of roses
and an olive tree
the one I was searching for.

I find the Eternal Beloved
in the tranquil solitude of nature;
the Beloved is everywhere,
if I could just see
beyond the chaos of crowd
to where He stands watching me,
but my loneliness blinds me
to His presence
until I am alone in prayer.

Once found,
the Eternal Beloved remains
with me
holding my hand
even in the middle of a crowd
where I was once lonely.