A Poem from My Queen

When I'm very lucky I get a poem in the mail. This one arrived after an extended discussion about Rick Warren on Inauguration Day when I unexpectedly found myself heartened by his inclusion.

The Love Religion by Ibn Arabi

The inner space inside

that we call the heart

has become many different

living scenes and stories.

A pasture for sleek gazelles,

a monastery for Christian monks,

a temple with Shiva dancing,

a kaa'ba for pilgrimage.

The tablets of Moses are there,

the Qur'an, the Vedas,

the sutras and the gospels.

Love is the religion in me.

Whichever way love's camel goes,

that way becomes my faith,

the source of beauty, and a light

of sacredness over everything.