A lilting poem on the theme of recognizing the Almighty, by AL-KHATTAB (pen-name of the author)
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Oh how blind I have been;
Shrine after shrine,
Falls from the sky,
Every beacon,
Falls, everything perishes.
All but He who is veiled in light.
All but He, who I desire to see.
Everything on Earth will perish.
Everything will fade,
As though never existed,
All love tales, all tragedies,
Like the millions already forgotten,
Like a million yet to be awake.
Oh how blind I have been;
Year after year, past,
To only ever feel like an evening,
Of merry and grief.
Years erode, and so will many.
Terrified, I am,
Of having nothing to show,
Nothing of value.
When our tale matters.
When gold accompanies not our grave.
Ignorant arrogance,
Will not step foot at the burial.
Few moments of deluded jubilation,
All past in one swift evening.
Oh how blind I have been;
I fear awakening from my endeavor,
And only an evening has passed,
How much I could’ve done,
How much we should’ve.
Now I must answer, and I fear,
Having none.
Oh how I wish, I am washed with light.
Oh how I wish, I repent when it matters,
Am the truth when it matters,
Courage when is needed,
Strength when required,
Gentle always,
Forgiving forever and fearful of the day,
I must return to the Fashioner of Creation.