Faith Poem by Aisha Sherazi

Walking along a beach,
I search within my soul,
Everything’s out of reach,
I no longer know my goal.

I’d lost my heart,
How could it be?
Alone and forlorn,
I stand by the sea.

I look to the ocean,
To provide me with the answers,
I search that deep blue,
Perhaps there are chances.

Chances that I,
Will find what I seek,
The answers to life,
For one small and meek.

I’m at the end now,
When down I stare,
Almost giving up,
Of something,
I am aware.

A beautiful pebble,
So appealing to me,
It glints and it shines,
And calls to me.

“Pick me up,
Make me yours,
Hold me close,
I am the one,
You seek”

I bend to retrieve it,
And strangely enough,
The floor is cold,
But the pebble is warm,
To my touch.

A feeling of safety,
Washes over me,
I hold it tightly,
And feel such serenity.

In many places,
The sea has smoothed it,
In other areas,
I see the faces.

The faces of things,
Yet to come,
I hear the sea
It’s gentle hum.

And although,
I’m surrounded,
By beauty,
I see nothing,
More worthy.
Of my stare.

This pebble I hold,
Which seems,
More precious,
Than sapphire or gold.

I look closely at it,
Its colours,
And contours,
Are so interesting,
So very appealing.

I hold that pebble,
Close to my chest,
I feel I know it,
More than the rest.

They all look so dull,
Lacklustre and bland,
This one that I hold,
So elegant and grand.

I put it to my ear,
What’s that I hear?
Something whispers to me,
“Listen here…”

Startled I notice,
The sea is calling,
It’s telling me something,
I feel like falling.

“That thing that you hold,
It belongs to me,
It is mine,
Give it back to me.”

I clutch it closer,
I can’t let go,
And all the time,
I really know.

The sea won’t give it,
Not without a fight,
I want to keep it,
With all my might.

Next thing I know,
There’s water at my feet,
Strong currents pass under,
I won’t take defeat.

I move backwards,
I stumble,
The waves are upon me,
“Help me, ” I mumble,

But it is too late.
It takes that pebble,
Out of my hand,
Now its’ hidden,
Deep in the sand.

I weep at its loss,
I cry with despair,
I search all around,
But find it nowhere.

My tears of salt,
Run into the sea,
The sea now has,
Even more of me.

It’s taken my stone,
It’s taken my tears,
It laughs so loudly,
It jeers at my fears.

I sit on the sand,
Wet to the skin,
I sit and I wonder,
What was my sin?

I found such a thing,
I sit and weep,
Did it matter,
It wasn’t mine to keep?

But then the sea,
Laughing at me,
Whispers with delight,
“Be patient, and see.”

And as the tide,
Moves back slowly,
I spy my pebble,
Calling to me.

It sits in the sand,
It sits and it waits,
For me to lift it,
I smile at my fate.

For who would have thought,
I’d find my faith here?
In this place,
Where I saw nothing but fear.

I look to the sea,
It was toying with me,
And then so,
Unexpected of me,

I throw the pebble.
Back into the ocean,
I throw it far,
Into that blue creation.

The sea is surprised,
“What’s this I see?
You’re giving up faith?
Can this really be? ”

“No, no, ” say I,
“You’ve misunderstood,
It will come back,
As it truly should.”

And sure enough,
With the next tide,
It came straight back,
It just went for a ride.

And each time I threw it,
It came back to me,
And at that moment,
I truly felt free.

Free to believe,
Free to desire,
Free to hope,
Higher and higher.

Such a sweet thing,
Faith is to feel,
So perplexing,
But so very real.

That stone is faith,
Your faith in the One,
When we find Allah,
Life has begun.