A Caravan Of Thoughts (Part 1) Poem by Hira Akhtar

Vanquished by a storm of thoughts, so blustery
Struggling to unravel a mystery

A mystery, those could only solve
who let their "selves", from the prison of desires, to absolve

A mystery, the depth of which is a bottomless ocean
Gets resuscitated, whoever dives in it, a blessing of devotion

So, I jumped on the horse of dedication and took the sword of perseverance
Heading towards my destination, with a desire, so immense

Wandering in my wilderness, I entered a valley called "The World"
where everyone was loving everything except the "Love" Himself, my conscience swirled

Drowning in the ocean of my own thoughts, I heard a noise
Take this perishing boy to the king, who is very wise

I followed the crowd, and the whole thing astonished me
The king was told the boy had disobeyed his mother the whole life, now his condition, see!

The king called his mother and asked her to forgive her son
She refused, and the king ordered to put the woods on fire and throw her son, in

At this, the mother cried out, "I forgive him, don't do this cruelty
The king grinned and the soul of the boy departed, peacefully

I smiled at the answer of what "love" for a mother is!
and moved on carrying my satchel of questions, with a bliss

As the dark prevailed, I entered a nearby mosque
where a dervish was sitting, covered with frost

I asked him, "why don't you go inside in this cold"
He replied, "I fear that the warmth of the blanket will hold"

How can I let my "selfish-self" drag me away from the remembrance of my lord?

Hearing this, I presented my question, "what is love for you? ", inquisitively
"Love is inside you, you're the mirror of love", he replied ardently

Hearing his words, a shiver went down my spine
And I sat there numb, staring at him, as if he had poured inside me, a glass of wine