Are you looking for me? What I found in a poem.

Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.

 

The evocative first line of this poem gave me pause. Written more than six centuries ago by Indian mystic and poet Kabir and translated by American poet Robert Bly, the poem is a conversation with God, who’s no virgin to IM-ing with poets about life. The rest of the poem reads:

My shoulder is against yours.

You will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor synagogues, nor in cathedrals:

not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables,

When you really look for me, you will see me instantly –

you will find me in the tiniest house of time.

Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?

He is the breath inside the breath.

More than anything, I found comfort in the lines of this poem. its meaning transcends religion and touches the core of faith. What is faith, but a belief in somebody or something? In this case, faith is God. Kabir reminds me that God lives inside of me and everyone. It’s easy to forget that God sits next to each of us on this noisy bus of life, especially when the people I love are facing difficult challenges.

Poems have different meanings to different people, so what does it mean to you?

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