They Told Me

They told me She would not come near,
For as I was, I was profane,
But She took me, profane, into Her arms.

     For profane though I was, I Loved Her.

They told me I must cleanse myself,
For Divinity cannot abide uncleanness,
But She pulled me into Her Perfect Embrace.

     For filthy though I was, I Loved Her.

They told me I should not speak Her name,
For my tongue was defiled by worldly speech,
But She planted words, like flowers, in my mouth.

     For defiled as I was, I Loved Her.

They told me I must do thus, and refrain from thus,
If ever I hoped to Know Her Presence,
But She required nothing of me, but Longing.

     For worldly as I was, I Loved Her.

They told me I must first quiet my mind,
In order to experience Her Silence,
But I heard Her Voice, amidst the din of my mind.

     For cacophanous though I was, I Loved Her.

Some told me there was nothing to be done,
For I was always already “enlightened”,
But there was much to be done, in the way of Longing.

     And desirous as I was, I Loved Her.

Others told me there was much to be done,
In the way of perfecting, evolving, ripening,
But there proved nothing to be done, but Love.

     For lazy though I was, I Loved Her.

I must simply be a madman,
To have burned the scriptures for warmth,
Along the Way to Her Secret Garden.

     But it was She who lit the flame,
And irreverent as I am, She Loves me.

I must simply be a Drunken Fool,
To write, as I do, sipping Her Wine,
When the sober have spoken contrarily.

     But She is the Cup Bearer,
And Drunk as I am, She Loves me.

The orthodox fought to keep Hafez's body,
From burial in holy ground,
And only a miracle dissuaded them.

     For “unholy” as they saw him, She Loved him.

If no miracle accompanies my death,
Bury me as a Wretched Sinner,
But leave room in my grave…

For The Beautiful One,
The Merciful One,
The Compassionate One.

     Leave room in my grave for Love.