The Laughter of Pomegranates

If you buy a pomegranate,

buy one whose ripeness

has caused it to be cleft open

with a seed-revealing smile.

Its laughter is a blessing,

for through its wide-open mouth

it shows its heart,

like a pearl in the jewel box of Spirit.

The red anemone laughs, too,

but through its mouth you glimpse a blackness.

A laughing pomegranate

brings the whole garden to life.

Keeping the company of the holy

makes you one of them.

Whether you are stone or marble,

you will become a jewel

when you reach a human being of heart.

.

Plant the love of the holy ones within your spirit;

don't give your heart to anything

but the love of those whose hearts are glad.

Don't go to the neighborhood of despair;

there is hope.

Don't go in the direction of darkness:

suns exist.

The heart guides you to the neighborhood of the saints;

the body takes you to the prison of water and earth.

Give your heart the food of holy friends;

seek maturity from those who have matured.

~for Lorac and Angie Mariani, your light showed us the way

~Rumi

Mathnawi I, 717-726

JBelle

JoJo Nahili

The 'Kan EWA