Gracious Beings

I pray to feel,

To feel your everlasting essence in every bent, broken, thing,

A lame dog, drinking from a puddle,

Merrily limping away having quenched his thirst,

A special child, with a contorted smile, devotedly looking up at his mother,

The frail, old lady, wheeling other people’s garbage through the day,

Unaware of the stench that follows her,

The grey-haired, English speaking guava seller,

Sitting whole day in the sun to earn a rupee, only to offer the guava’s for free,

Whether, their hearts be bleeding or feet be crooked,

Each day, they smile through life’s brokenness,

Dressed with great dignity in yesterday’s clothes,

They patiently wait for, yet, another day to pass

Deep prayer rises from the heart for these gracious beings,

May life be gentler on them, and the dusk of their lives less maddening.

The Song of the Sufi Masroof