Becoming Wasp

Ruby Red Dye

Are you a nomad

Or a monad

Locked in a union

Or twisting

Painfully free

Through a sparkling

Horizon?

Where is the one way

To wonder?

There seems to be a

Single rip through

The subject that

Sprawls endlessly

Through suburban space.

Once in a wild selfish

Demonstration

Ceremonies

Didn’t make the cut,

Costs became prohibitive

And that solely

Necessary idol

Tore itself down.

This is where the

Curtain drops,

And one is stuck,

Stark, and naked

Rubbing painfully against

The past’s engravings.

When it all turns into

Vapor, when matter

Mates with our

Common liquid,

The sign tilts

Into terror, slides,

Tumbles, takes

Two, an eternal

Womb; born

Again.

Ruminating

    The poetry of the Sufi Rumi often lends itself to mysticism and serene slippages of the tongue. Rumi represents the tremendous hermeneutic depth inherent in the incessant reinterpretation of Islam and the Quran. As a scholar and headmaster of schools in the Middle East Rumi was exposed to the most modern advances in science and philosophy of his time, which is evident in the topos of his writing He was a firm believer that if you speak a new language you shall have a new world before your eyes; which points to the very modern concept that language is constitutive of our shared reality.  

Confused and distraught

Again I am raging, I am in such a state by your soul that every
bond you bind, I break, by your soul.
I am like heaven, like the moon, like a candle by your glow; I am all
reason, all love, all soul, by your soul.
My joy is of your doing, my hangover of your thorn; whatever 
side you turn your face, I turn mine, by your soul.
I spoke in error; it is not surprising to speak in error in this 
state, for this moment I cannot tell cup from wine, by your soul.
I am that madman in bonds who binds the "divs"; I, the madman,
am a Solomon with the "divs", by your soul.
Whatever form other than love raises up its head from my 
heart, forthwith I drive it out of the court of my heart, by your soul.
Come, you who have departed, for the thing that departs
comes back; neither you are that, by my soul, nor I am that, by your soul.
Disbeliever, do not conceal disbelief in your soul, for I will recite
the secret of your destiny, by your soul.
Out of love of Sham-e Tabrizi, through wakefulness or 
nightrising, like a spinning mote I am distraught, by your soul.

"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2" A. J. Arberry
The University of Chicago Press, 1991

There are some who try and abstract Rumi out of his historical and cultural context in order to harness the eternal essence of his writing, his poetry has been translated into contemporary American idioms as well. There is an undeniable benefit to making the language of his works more accessible to larger audiences, however its clear there is little value in completely ignoring the origins and influences of his work; i.e. the theological environment from whence it arose.

Rumi’s work has the feel less of a sermon than a dialogue or discourse, a song or a conversation. In the above poem he writes “I, the madman, am a Solomon.” There is an uncanny similarity between his poetry and the Songs of Solomon, odes of love to the divine rather than Jeremiads.

While there is a stark similarity in styles between Solomon and Rumi in their mode of presentation, there are much more poignant cleavages running through the content of the messages themselves. One major difference between the belief systems erected by the different theological traditions is in the understanding of the origin of evil. While Christianity tells a narrative of the Fall of Man and Original Sin, for the Sufi’s it is a question of ‘vic’ or remembrance of a forgotten divine. Humanity is impregnated with a spirit that is both beyond and every bit a part of itself, one gets a glimpse of or tastes a bit of this ethereal yet immanent essence through finite yet particular experiences of love.

For Rumi, the task of living righteously in the world is not a prohibitionist warding off of evil, but rather a hopeful stylistics of existence that seeks to affirm the divine in one’s working on and understanding of the world. It is a mode of being that begins with an ethos of generosity, in its interpretation of Islamic code, in its disposition toward others, and in its cultivation of habits in the daily regimen of life. To live justly is less so the protection of a body from harmful pathogens, than is it a joyful journey in search for the lost ruins of the spirit.

This interpretation of Islam, one that is more commonplace for many Iranians, is one radically opposed to that in the lamestream media. It seems to strike at and shatter the certainty of the American conception of radical Muslims. Moreover, it is an ethos that embraces and actively advocates for a cosmopolitanism in global affairs. Perhaps there are overlooked wooden grains in the carpentry of religion. 

The Great Com[broken]promiser

   The Tax Cuts Bill is one promise that Republicans ought to praise Obama on breaking. This bill maybe a turning point where Obama institutes a new era of bipartisanship on the hill or where he alienated his base and split the party for little political return.

    Is Obama the new Comeback Kid? This bill could turn out to be a smart move in the long run for a couple of reasons; 1) It takes away one of the Republicans best talking points, although it will increase the deficit by at least $858 Billion, 2) There might be a marginal return in terms of its stimulative value, 3) The unemployment benefits probably would not have gotten passed in a Republican controlled House.

   That being said, the Tax Cuts were hard enough to let expire in this Congress that is Democratically controlled, what makes anyone think it will be any easier to get rid of them two years down the road in a Boehner led House?

And where was Pelosi? Once she secured her leadership position she has been absent from the public for the past several weeks, although she was arguably the most important engineer getting the necessary votes. Perhaps it's wise taking herself out of the spotlight, since so many attacks during the election were directed at her. Nonetheless, she put some Democrats into very precarious positions to be out-lefted in primaries in future elections. There is a difference between compromise and retreat and it seems pretty obvious where this bill lies.

Not So Lame of Ducks

    We ought to have lame duck congresses more often if this kind of productivity rate is typical. Congress is like a high school student, procrastinating right up until the deadline. The Christmas deadline seems especially provoking. There was a similar situation last year with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.    

     If this Lame Duck Session produces what Reid says they will, the Dream Act, Ratification of START, Tax Bill, and DADT than this congress will pass more substantive legislation in a month than they have for most of 2010. We'll see if Congress can soar through the skies or if they are truly a lame duck that has only its head in the clouds. 

lost object

In search of

Animal tendon

Connections,

Who says

I’m not

A soothsayer?