What would I be? - Rumi

(Rumi laments the loss of his spiritual teacher, Shams)

"Come near, you so like me.
My love feels held in,
until you ask, Do you hurt?

As I feel love rise, I fight with it.
You say, Bravo. The general takes command.

Last night this body was a stringed instrument
playing love songs.

There is a kind of accounting
going on with you and me.

But all I want from this exchange
is your peace. I fly inside mystery.
You say, Try to keep up, my lame friend.

There is a grapevine hanging here.
Should I climb it?

When you stay away, I'm miserable.
What would I be if you wanted
to be with me all the time?

Grief and unexpected joy live in a doorway
where there is no time or distance.

Aging changes to childhood.
My face is new again.

You say, My confused and silent friend."


Jelaluddin Rumi: The Essential Rumi, transl by Coleman Barks, p307