escaping into silence

Rumi was a cool dude. He understood something about the mysteries and ecstasies of love. He also liked to write about the moon...

Some Kiss We Want

There is some kiss we want
with our whole lives, the touch

of spirit on the body. Seawater
begs the pearl to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild darling!

At night, I open the window and ask
the moon to come and press its
face against mine.

Breathe into me. Close
the language-door and open the love-window.
The moon won't use the door,
only the window.

And,

Quietness

Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an ax to the prison wall.
Escape. Walk out
like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quietness is the surest
sign that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.

The speechless full moon comes out now.

And again,

Blessing the Marriage

This marriage be wine with halvah,
honey dissolving in milk.

This marriage be the leaves and fruit
of a date tree. This marriage

be women laughing together for days
on end. This marriage, a sign

for us to study. This marriage,
beauty. This marriage, a moon

in a light blue sky. This marriage,
this silence, fully mixed with spirit.

From Rumi The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing