When The Sun Conceived a Man
What could I say about that day
when the Sun conceived a man,
gave birth to itself as Reality and Truth?
What could all speech in creation
ever say about that resplendent morning
when the eternal One let his face
and body appear by grace in form?
God is the luminous root of all in existence,
independent of space and time's novice dance
across only a single string of the infinite.
Today I carry gifts from the fish, beasts, birds,
angels. I carry from the rivers, seas, fields, stars,
and from every soul -
and every soul that will ever be.
God, let us know what you first saw
that made you want to do this,
create a human heart.
What makes parents want to conceive a human heart? And then nourish it, watch it grow, develop, and eventually take wings of a separate spring of life for which to fly by? If they do it right, you really are an amalgam of everything they've given you, shown you, imparted to you - their wisdom, laughter, and love. You're a sum of the things they love most, and the parts of everything that through their love and encouragement you found on your own. I know that because of my father I'm a well-rounded individual, I love poetry, I appreciate depth, I hunt for beauty, I value health, I welcome music and laughter and song-birds. Over the years my dad and I have taken a tremendous liking to the poet Rumi and this past month he decided to create a "Rumi Garden", the inaugural stone is below, and I happen to think that it's oddly synonymous with having children, as isn't that an act of planting love?
Gibran wrote a parable on May 10, 1916 that I think my dad (and any great one) would appreciate:
"In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone.
My friend said to me, "Behold the wisest man of our land."
I left my friend and approached the wise man and greeted him. Then we conversed.
After a while I said, "Forgive my question; but since when hast thou been blind?"
"From birth," he answered.
"I'm an astronomer."
Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, "I watch these suns and moons and stars."
Today, I say a lifetime of thanks to the first man who showed me the suns and moons and stars within myself. Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you! <3
What could I say about that day
when the Sun conceived a man,
gave birth to itself as Reality and Truth?
What could all speech in creation
ever say about that resplendent morning
when the eternal One let his face
and body appear by grace in form?
God is the luminous root of all in existence,
independent of space and time's novice dance
across only a single string of the infinite.
Today I carry gifts from the fish, beasts, birds,
angels. I carry from the rivers, seas, fields, stars,
and from every soul -
and every soul that will ever be.
God, let us know what you first saw
that made you want to do this,
create a human heart.
What makes parents want to conceive a human heart? And then nourish it, watch it grow, develop, and eventually take wings of a separate spring of life for which to fly by? If they do it right, you really are an amalgam of everything they've given you, shown you, imparted to you - their wisdom, laughter, and love. You're a sum of the things they love most, and the parts of everything that through their love and encouragement you found on your own. I know that because of my father I'm a well-rounded individual, I love poetry, I appreciate depth, I hunt for beauty, I value health, I welcome music and laughter and song-birds. Over the years my dad and I have taken a tremendous liking to the poet Rumi and this past month he decided to create a "Rumi Garden", the inaugural stone is below, and I happen to think that it's oddly synonymous with having children, as isn't that an act of planting love?
"In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone.
My friend said to me, "Behold the wisest man of our land."
I left my friend and approached the wise man and greeted him. Then we conversed.
After a while I said, "Forgive my question; but since when hast thou been blind?"
"From birth," he answered.
"I'm an astronomer."
Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, "I watch these suns and moons and stars."
Today, I say a lifetime of thanks to the first man who showed me the suns and moons and stars within myself. Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you! <3
Father and Daughter (2007), Paul Simon
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