I sang to My Beloved
O My Beloved –
how could I sing of the joy
of being closer to You
than Your breath…
than Your eyes…
than Your lips…
if Sorrow had not visited me? …
In the middle of the darkest night
in the cold midwinter of the heart,
a stranger knocked upon my door:
it was Sorrow, wrapped in blackest cloak.
I greeted Sorrow; bade come in;
ate bread with Sorrow and drank wine with it;
then with a smile, sent Sorrow on its way.
Now the sun has risen,
the dawn is like a world made new
and I have woken fresh
as if I had already washed.
[this one comes with a smile for Allie, who occasioned it...]
Michael Shepherd
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/in-the-spirit-of-rumi-20/