In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Hazrat Inayat Khan entitled “Khatum.”  I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.

Your Voice

O Thou,

            Who art the Perfection of

            Love, Harmony, and Beauty,

            The Lord of heaven and earth,

Open our hearts,

            That we may hear Thy Voice,

            Which constantly cometh from within.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan “Khatum”

Perfect Love,

like a mother with her newborn child,

like a boy with his puppy,

like a bride and groom at the altar.

Perfect Harmony,

like a violin and piano,

like a choir,

like a symphony.

Perfect Beauty,

like a waterfall in the mountains,

like a tropical lagoon,

like an ocean beach.

Lord of sun, moon, and stars.

Lord of clouds and rainbows.

Lord of mountains.

Lord of valleys.

Lord of forests.

Lord of deserts.

Lord of oceans.

Lord of lakes.

Lord of rivers.

Our hearts long to be opened.

Quick, take out your surgical knife.

Cut deep.

Open our hearts like a door.

Open our hearts like a treasure chest.

Open our hearts like a gate into a verdant garden.

It is with our hearts we hear your voice.

Your voice like a harp.

Your voice like thunder.

Your voice like a flute.

Your voice like the wind.

Your voice like a whisper.

You speak from within our hearts.

And you tell us of your deep, unfathomable love.

You tell us of our own perfection.

You tell us of the beauty of your creation.

You tell us you have made all this for us.

You tell us we were meant to be abundant.

You tell us we are worthy of love.

You tell us to seal that business deal.

You tell us which way to take home.

You tell us not to go on that trip.

You tell us we are beings of light and you are the light within us.

You tell us our souls are pure brilliance.

You tell us to have compassion on our enemies.

You tell us how to serve our friends.

You tell us how to make a difference in the world.

Our goodness comes from you.

We learn forgiveness from you.

We learn to see ourselves in our neighbors

and our neighbors in ourselves through your wisdom.

Your peace is all that we live for.

It descends upon us like a dove.

And we know that we are one with each other,

and one with you.