Thursday, September 09, 2010

All The World, And I [a poem]

All The World, And I


As if of all the world, and yet of none of it. 

As if of the wind, the earth, the silent flowing water that runs beneath.
As if of fire that burns, and fire that kindles life. All if of all force on Earth.

As if of East, of West, of both polarities. 
As if of here, of there, of in-between, 
As if of in & out, off on.

As if in left, in right, in true & false, 
As if in up & down, yes no. 

I've found myself everywhere.

As if as far the glance stretches
and as far the ears can hear
As if wherever my sound echoes
As if in all far and all near --

I had found myself everywhere. 

I was all the world, 
and yet
none was I.

Until the instance
when my gaze met the world
and I saw I was that, 


----

.ra
the poem had arrived as I watched pigeons congregated on trees outside Jinnah's mausoleum in Karachi
december 21, 2009

(poem was left unfinished. perhaps I perceived nothing beyond that point that day. certainly, what I began to perceive was inexplicable back then. -- September 9, 2010)