Birdwings

Your grief for what you’ve lost lifts a mirror
up to where you’re bravely working.

Expecting the worst, you look, you look, and instead,
here's the joyful face you’ve been wanting to see.

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open,
you would be paralyzed.

Your deepest presence is in every small contracting
and expanding,
the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated
as birdwings.

— Rumi, inThe Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

If this speaks to you, I'm wondering what it focuses on for you. Aging gracefully? Facing illness? Struggling at work? A break up? Kids leaving home?

Comments

Umā said…
To me right now it speaks to dealing with the loss of my mom, but I think it's one of those brilliant passages that could speak to anyone whose heart was open to it. It really is a beautiful sentiment.
Anonymous said…
SO glad you shared this...Dianne
Sydney said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rockwrites said…
Thank you for commenting Dianne. It got me to read the poem again. That Rumi was SOMETHING, huh?