From an Insomniac's Dream (IV) - Time Will Tell

Today heralds beginning of an era

Not of interest to meaningless minds

Regardless, time’s story must be told.

However, if you believe Time irrelevant,

So is yesterday, today, tomorrow

Thus, forget past and start afresh,

That’s all you’ve got…

Why assume present is from past

And future you seek does not come your way.

An assumption: time was, is, will be linear.

If Shams’ past an interpretation, future illusion

Then time was, is, will always be there

Time eternal.

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Narcissus observes a watch

Tiny cogs fitting perfectly

A rotation yielding time.

Time yielded - timeless

With time standing still, time appears limited

And yet there is so much; as much required - no more, no less.

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Narcissus dances in head-heart, albeit intermittently

When he pauses for breath,

Agitation

That time is limited in a sea of timelessness

“What next? Where do we go from here?” 

He observes a cup brimming to capacity

The image is not only timeless, it is palpable

He could reach out and touch

Without distressing equilibrium.

Uncomfortable about his tactility

Narcissus is far from touching the surface.

He must even stop breathing

For his breath will tantalize,

And disarray.

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Have you heard raindrops pattering on a surface?

And when the rain stops, perfect stillness?

Silent, complete, satiated…

That calm Narcissus aspires to.

And in that stillness, esoterica from an insomniac’s dream must come to an end

Like the wave front comes to an end at the shore,

No matter how calm or agitated ocean or land may appear  

Where does boundary of self end and stars begin? Shams asked.

In time, the answer.

And salvation.

from an Insomniac's Dream

Description: 'Insomniac's Dream' has two protagonists, Shams and Narcissus, depicted along the actual (and revered) Shams of Tabriz and Jelaluddin Rumi. The latter’s poetry and the former’s extensive wandering, both seeking life's meaning or purpose and perhaps finding mystical companionship, as a result, has been a great source of intrigue for many over hundreds of years. The Shams and Narcissus dynamic alluded to in the poem, is also reminiscent of God and Man - conversations between Shams and Narcissus (or between God and Man) have been depicted in verse.

Acknowledgment: First published by Spillwords press. Thank you Alya Mian for facilitating this part of Insomniac’s Dream…