Sunday, August 11, 2024

in that shop (Rumi)

 *Non-existence.*

The religion and creed of the lovers is non- existence.

*

These spiritual window-shoppers,

who idly ask, ‘How much is that?’ Oh, I’m just looking.

They handle a hundred items and put them down,

shadows with no capital.


What is spent is love and two eyes wet with weeping.

But these walk into a shop,

and their whole lives pass suddenly in that moment,

in that shop.


Where did you go? “Nowhere.”

What did you have to eat? “Nothing much.”


Even if you don’t know what you want,

buy something 

 to be part of the exchanging flow.


Start a huge, foolish project,

like Noah.


It makes absolutely no difference

what people think of you..





Rumi, ‘We Are Three’, Mathnawi VI, 831-845

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