For Khalil (Beauty) Poem by Peter Vector

All my life you've told me,
Beauty is the heart of life.
Your words are spiritual, powerful
Through decades they travel
So it is that we might speak now

I am not congratulatory,
We are brothers.
I am not sadden to have never met you,
We knew each other as the beauty is this world.

You once spoke to me, saying:
'We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting'

Khalil, I never wait.
Nor do you.
Everyday we live.
Everyday we discover a new beauty.

In sunrises over the beauty of Lebanon
In the autumnal leaves of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Through the bustling, crowded city streets of New York City
Through the murmuring of new thoughts in collegiate halls
Each piece of life an intangible moment to be felt.

In a world with unending volleys
Of pain,
Of war,
Of sorrow,
Of loss,
Of destruction,
Of the unhallowed state of the souls of men and women

We see a light.

The Soul of the World has yet to awake.
We tap it lightly,
As if to wake the gentle thing
Each time we tap into the beauty of the world.

Khalil, you knew of the heart of life
You knew the joys of living

I follow both in your footsteps
And walk alongside you all the same.
This beauty, like you and I,
Is Eternal
Is Undefinable
Is Sanctified
Is Powerful
Is Unique
Is Knowledge
Is All and All is One

We are the One birthplace of Beauty.
No as a concept, or a lofty ideal.
Rather, a literal wellspring from which Beauty flows.
Go forth, Khalil says
Be Beautiful
For the World is Waiting.