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)