Heaven is Jealous

Heaven is Jealous

There are moments in moist love 
when heaven is 
jealous of what we on earth can do.

And there are gods who would trade their lives
to have a heart that can know human pain,

because our sufferings will allow us to become
greater than this world. 

         For school I research many topics, few stick with me as more than facts that must be recalled, both now and at some future point in time. Today, I happened upon Triploid syndrome, an extremely rare chromosomal disorder, with a prognosis worse than Downs Syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18), and Patau Syndrome (Trisomy 13). Individuals with triploid syndrome have 69 chromosomes rather than the normal 46. Fetuses are usually lost early on through miscarriage. Another portion survive, but are stillborn. Very few are born alive, in fact there are only around 60 recorded cases ever in the world. Unfortunately, these children rapidly decline after birth. Of note, most of the medical pictures for children born alive with Triploid syndrome are featured both in articles and on the parents' blogs. Of course it is the parents' blogs that are the reason behind why I bring this up. Almost universally I was met with quotes similar to this one: "Briefly I held an angel, and for that I am grateful, for that, I can know joy." 

         I believe that there are heavenly moments in human relationships and sometimes we come across angels on earth, and I'd wager both of these are most likely to happen in moments of love. Moments of love can be anything, from sitting close to having sex to saying goodbye too soon. If Hafiz is right, then "our sufferings allow us to become greater than this world", and this too, however unsettling, is a component of love. Perhaps the only solace is knowing that love does allow us to rise above, "Of all the things you see, only love is infinite" (Rumi). 

        The words of Kahlil Gibran sum this up perfectly:

"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness 

and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world 

where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, 

and cry, but not all of your tears." 

The Cathedral (1908), Rodin Museum

“In friendship or in love, the two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.” - Gibran