Love's Requiem

The Madman stood at prayer at twilight

in his garden.

In the slowly expanding shadows
laden with rose and jasmine he sang.

“Oh Beloved, Oh thou Lover of All who
draw breath seeking you with their hearts open,
and souls athirst. Oh Thou who cannot help but
hear our prayers and songs, please listen to
this elegy, this requiem sung by Love.”

“Whenever the Song of Love is sung, it’s haunting,
lilting melodies are the elegy of the selfish one,
a requiem for the ego. They silence the voices
that seek to exclude, and warmly embrace those
whose voices are stifled by the oppression of
the Self and the tyranny of an Other. These songs,
Oh Beloved, lift up those trodden down by poverty
and the arrogance of those to whom the word ’Share”
is a curse . These symphonies of your Lovers,
succor the hearts beaten down by those servants of
the self who foolishly claim that they alone speak
Your words to humanity. Your Love is an open
“Come unto me regardless.” while their speech is
a constant litany of “thou shalt not” and “you are
Hopeless.”

How, Oh God, can a Lover of Your Eternity
ever be hopeless??”

“These Songs are our Hope and our Weapon against
the woe of the Selfish Self, the Selfish One who sucks
the sweetness from our hearts! Arm us well, Oh Lover,
that we may at last present to you a life danced in the
Living Springs of Your Very Being.”

“I open my heart Oh God! I lay all my fear, my anger,
my loneliness, my fullness, my tears and my laughter before
you on this ground. Take them, take them all and place
them in the brazier which burns before your Inner Places.
take my Love, My heart, my very soul and this skin bag
it calls a dwelling place, full of blood, shit, and fluids though it
is. Take my mind, my words, my breaths, and gasps,
take it all, Oh My Lover……”

The Madman covered his face with his hands, and wept,
as his spirit ascended to places we cannot even touch
in dreams.

In a darkening corner sat two friends.
A silver Huntress of Hearts and a gentle old Pir.
To the eyes of man they seemed a kitten and a mouse.

“There are no words.” the Pir said solemnly.

“None.” the Huntress said.

And they too began their song,
at twilight…..


TF © 31Aug2010

A Little Gardening

The Madman loved gardens,
whether large with sculpted hedges and trees,
full of flowers and ponds, alive with flashing

fishes and birds, or

small and tidy with a few roses, some jasmine
and a few cattails where it met a wetland.

This described the Madman's own garden,
a miniature paradise at the back of his modest
home. It had a wall on three sides, the fourth being the
marshy pond where dwelt many birds who feasted

on the mosquitoes, fish; big lazy carp, and frogs.

Today, as the dervish pruned his roses,

Photo by Mary Fullerton

his mind harked back to the previous night, and he

was filled with peace. The kitten played near
the rushes."Thank you Oh God, for this small
taste of The Garden of Paradise." he sang as he
worked, snipping and carefully keeping the hips
of the faded roses for his tea.

He noticed the kitten studying something with
all the feline intensity She could muster.
Suddenly a loud croak boomed out of the
rushes near where the kitten stood. She reared
up on Her hind legs giving a loud 'rowr', then bounded about in sheer excitement. there was
another croak followed by a 'rowr'


The Madman walked over to see the kitten nose to nose
with a very large frog. There seemed no antagonism,
just a communication that was
between frog, kitten and God.

The Madman smiled and returned to his roses.
The croaking and mewing continued for a while, ending
in a splash as the frog returned to the marsh. The
kitten then found a sunny place and lay down for a nap.

The day crept into the afternoon, and the
dervish prayed, rested, and ate some cheese and bread.

There was a knocking on the Garden gate, followed
by a voice.
"Dervish! Hey dervish are you in there? Where have you
been this morning? I need to ask you something."
"I have been dead and walking in the Garden today!" the
dervish answered.
'What!?" the other man shouted "Dead?! If you were dead
how could you be talking to me over this wall?"
'Perhaps you too are dead."
"What the hell are you saying? I am alive! I just left
the tea shoppe and everyone there saw me!"
"Perhaps they too are dead." the dervish said.

"You are crazier than a rat in a jar! I don't know why
I bother to ask you anything. I know the answer already,
any way!"

"Thanks be to God! Thanks be to God!" the dervish shouted.
"What now, you crazy fool?"
"You have risen from the dead!"

It was quiet from the other side of the gate.

The Madman returned to his spot as
the kitten ambled over and sat down.

"Ah, little one, are the roses not sweet?"

TF (C)30Aug2010

Night Prayer

The Madman walked forth while his
household slept, and he went to
his little garden, and there he sang
his midnight prayer..

"Give me time, Oh Beloved,
and the arms to hold You through these
long nights when You seem so distant.
Give me a heart that does not grow
faint when I run these many races, and
fill it with your own Sweet Self."

"Fill me with Your food that I may never
hunger for aught but You, and give me
drink from Your rivers of paradise that
I never thirst for anything but the dew of

Photo by Mary Fullerton

Your Grace."

A Lover's moan escaped the Madman's breast

as he fell on his knees and the healing
tears of the Beloved's Love fell on the
tiny red tea roses that he gently tended, as the
bearers of the Perfume of God.

He sat upon the ground consumed in the Love of the One.
His lips moved silently through the names, as his
tears continued to fall.

Then in the silver white light of the Moon,
he felt a small furry head nuzzle his folded hands,
"mew".
"Ah my little one, my little one. We set before the Beloved,
and breathe His Grace. So, so sweet it is. Beyond anything
I could tell you of." She nuzzled his hand until
he picked Her up. Bringing her to eye level, he looked
into her tiny face. "You do understand don't you?"

The wind blew a warm scent of jasmine and rose
through the garden. The Madman looked into her eyes,
and saw there a distant celebration of such things as
he knew not.

"More than I can tell you" She said in a small clear voice.

A tear formed in the Eye of God,
and the Night went on..and on..and on
And Love danced in joy.

TF (C) 29Aug2010

Heaven and Hell

The Madman sat under one of the many

olive trees in the large garden next to the tea
shoppe. He had refilled his venerable ceramic

mug from a samovar in the Shoppe, and was

savoring the sweet tea while his kitten batted
and pounced upon a dried crust of bread.

The Madman’s thoughts were full of the Beloved
and one of the Divine Names softly played upon his
lips as he sat. The breeze was warm and the scent
of flowers, smoke, and cooking food combined in
a most heady perfume.

Into this tableau, a man of very earnest mien approached
the Madman.
“Excuse me, good sir, but my I ask you a question?”

The kitten looked up from Her crust curiously,
and the dervish simply replied,
“ask, then.”

“If you were to die tonight do you know where you
would go?”

The Madman took a sip of tea.
“Into the grave, I suppose. The place we all end up.”

“I know that. I mean where will your soul go? Will
you be in Heaven or in Hell?”

“It seems to me that the two are inexorably interwoven,”
the Madman said, “in Heaven there is Hell and in Hell there
is Heaven.”

The man looked shocked.
“That is not possible foolish one! It says in my scripture
here that the blessed go to Heaven, and the damned…”

“Yes. Yes,” the dervish said kindly, “go to Hell.”

“I know all that, and my experience tells me that is
not so, for I experience the two as interwoven.”

“Experience means nothing! Faith means everything!”
the man said, jabbing his finger at the dervish.
“The two cannot be interwoven, as you say. That is
contrary to Faith and scripture!”

The kitten bristled a bit at this, and settled down close to
Her friend.

“Allow me to explain, good sir. As I set here under this tree,
at this time, in this place, with these conditions, holding my
tea, softly singing my Beloved’s name as my companion plays
quietly, is Heaven. The Bliss of my wife’s arms is Heaven. To pray
to the Beloved is Heaven.
Now, when a storm comes, and in it’s fury
drives me to seek shelter, in the Shoppe,
which is also crowded with others seeking
refuge from the storm, I am pushed and jostled,
and my feet are stepped on, my kitten is safe in
my pocket lest she be stepped on as well.
Hell has entered into Heaven .
The storm passes.
The sun returns, and everyone goes out to
resume their lives and doings. I return to my
tree, and to singing God’s name, and my kitten
resumes Her hunt. Heaven has arisen out of
Hell. They are forever intertwined.”

“You ARE mad!” the man says loudly.
“When Faith encounters experience, Faith
always must supersede! Do you wish to hear
my wonderful plan of salvation from your obvious ignorance!?”

“No. No thank you, but no. Your concern for my soul is
commendable, but I have heard it all before.”

“You then are more than mad, you are a fool!

I am taking my leave of you, so that you may simmer in
your sins. May God have mercy on you!”

“At every moment, every breath, God has such mercy for me.”

The man rose from where he had set, and walked purposely
away from the dervish..

“Are you then leaving me here, with no further word?”
the Madman asked.

“Indeed I am, sir. Good Bye!”

“My point exactly, Heaven has arisen from Hell.”

The Madman smiled .

A look of fury crossed the man’s face, which
grew red.

“And see, Hell itself has arisen.”

Uttering an epithet, the man hurried away.

The afternoon wind almost sounded as if God were
laughing.

“Mew”

“So True little one.”

And they relaxed into a sweet nap
As Heaven embraced them.


TF © 29Aug2010

What the Moon Saw

This morning, before the rising of the Sun,

the Moon came in through my window,
and setting on my shoulder,
gently awakened me.

“There are things I saw last night,
things of beauty and awe.. I must tell
you about such, before I go to
keep watch where night is just beginning.

“As I watched over the doings of the Lovers
last night I saw the Madman and his
beloved in their loving embrace,
cooing, crying and moaning as they
thrashed about in their ecstasy and bliss.
Then they slept, deeply and peacefully.

After the midnight hour I saw him again,
kneeling on the roof of his house praying to
the Beloved with as much fervor as he when he
embraced his wife.
Swaying to and fro he sings the Names and beseeches
the One for so many souls that I lost track.
Never once did he ask for himself, for health, or wealth
power or even respect. He prayed for those who
ridicule him, and make jokes about his
ragged cloak and bare feet.
He begged for words, and to be able to love
with the Love we are given by God.
That was all he asked
for himself.”

“His kitten lay curled next to him all the
time he prayed, Her fur seemed to glow of itself in
my light.”

“I truly see why they call him mad,” said the Moon.
“He prayed unclothed before the Beloved!”

“I know”, I said. I once asked him why he did
that and he laughed. He said,
“I came not from God in robes and shoes, but clothed
as the One saw fit to dispatch me here. This is the body,
the skin, which I was given from God’s hand, and so I shall
depart to the judgment. When there are those who would
be distressed, I cover the skin bag,
but when it is just God and I in the embrace of night,
I have nothing but He, and I clothe myself in nothing but
His Love and Grace. What He gives me is enough.”

The Moon sighed understanding and
quietly left for the other side of the world.

I went back to sleep knowing I had been remembered
by one of the True Lovers
of the One True Lover.

TF © 27Aug2010

The Madman Encounters a Funeral

The Madman encountered a funeral as he walked

out of his town. The body was wrapped in
its shroud, borne by the men of the family
while the women followed weeping.
Their sadness trailed after them like a
morning fog.

“Death is so unfair. I knew him. He was strong,
not yet truly old, his daughter soon to marry.”
Said a young man with his wife
at his side, who had paused next to
the Dervish.

“Birth is so unfair.” the Madman said.
The couple’s attention was quickly diverted from
the funeral to the dervish.
“What? What did you say?” the man asked.
“Birth is so unfair.” he repeated
“How can you possibly say that? My wife
will soon give birth and we are looking forward to
it with great joy! Unfair? Rubbish!”

The Madman turned to them and said,
“That man, was he not once born?”

“Well yes, of course he was. That is obvious”

“And since his life was brought to this untimely end,
before his daughter married, and grandchildren gathered
round,, was not his very birth the cause of his death, for
had he never been born, he never would have died.”

“Well, that is true, but if he had not been born, he never
would have married, had children, taught in the
Holy Sanctuary, enlightening his students and freeing their
hearts, who in turn have been teaching others. His books
will live for decades after him. How is that unfair, I ask you!”

“Well, he died did he not, and you said that death was unfair..”

“Death and life are contained within each other, you dolt!”
the young man shouted .
“If you live, you die! It is just that simple!”

“His timing was unfair then.” said the dervish.

“Ridiculous, the time is in God’s Hands, not ours. When it is time
it is time!”

“That being so, this was then unfair, how?”

The stillness was only broken by a donkey cart rattling
by on the road..

The dervish smiled.

“Your wife is about to bring your Love into this world.
Go and prepare to receive your child, and be
joyful. Fairness or unfairness have nothing to
do with beginnings and endings,
only with how we treat each other.”

The young couple nodded and hurried away.

The Madman looked into his big pocket to where
his kitten slept. He reached in and gently stroked Her
between the ears.
She rolled and stretched as best she could,

“mew””

“Indeed, Little One, and so it is.


TF ©27Aug2010