A Potted Plant

A Potted Plant 

I pull a sun from my coin purse each day.
And at night I let my pet, the moon,
run freely into the sky meadow.

If I whistled,
she would turn her head and look at me.

If I then waved my arms,
she would come back wagging a marvelous tail
of stars.

There are always a few men like me
in this world

who are house-sitting for God.

We share His royal duties: 

I water each day a favorite potted plant
of His –
this earth.

Ask for love.
Ask again.

For I have learned that every heart will get
what it prays for
most.


          Like Hafiz does with his relationship with God, we too must water our relationship, tend to the seedling, watch the plant grow. I always wonder what makes people stay together long term. What makes someone stay with someone despite distance? How about significant age gaps? Through illness? Through financial difficulty? Of course, I’m now pointing out the glaring “abnormalities” that come with some relationships, but just knowing you feel THAT strongly about someone is pretty special. 

          How do people get the recipe just right when it comes to love? Do you just know? And if you do, how do you know if a relationship is forever or just the best you’ve had to date? And even if it is the best you’ve had to date, does that mean it should be the forever one? I’ve wondered about this many of times, but I am no closer to the answer. Relationships are complicated, often precarious, things. Perhaps all we can do is ask for love, then ask again. If the reply is a mutual yes, maybe that’s the answer.

        I really enjoy the poetic majesty of Florence and The Machine's All This and Heaven Too, a song that yearns to find out exactly what love is.