Touched by Rumi: AN UNEXPECTED TEACHING

Rumi has the ability to reach people of all backgrounds, ages, religions, and more. His wisdom sparks us to look within and influences us to view ourselves and the world in a different way. In this section of our Monthly Newsletter we ask people to show us how Rumi has affected them and their way of thinking.

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AN UNEXPECTED TEACHING
SOUL ROOM FOR RUMI MEDITATION

I was all set up for my morning with Rumi:
Web- cam on, loose clothes on,
perfect chair ready, breathing with Fariba
breathe in      breathe out...

Todays’ lesson
     O camel you carry on your back
          a bouquet of roses
from its fragrance thousands of rose gardens
          can grow in you

breath in      breath out
when suddenly a loud engine noise
disrupted everything.

I walked to the window
looked down on the street in horror
at a huge red and green truck.
The sign on its back read:
     ‘CANDELLA WASTE
     for a greener tomorrow.”

Three men in poison green shirts
were hurling black plastic bags
into the back of the vehicle for grinding
and grind they did like the drilling
of ten thousand dentists.

I looked across at the few leaves left
on my tree—the little fans
collapsed now so they looked
more like bells      the few left
were trembling.     silently

To me they were saying,
     We know we know
     do not morn so they do this
     every year and still we
     would bloom gold .
Shams must have been here.

-Wendy Wilder Larsen, December 7, 2022 after a REC Morning Meditation