Traveler
i wrote this in April but never posted it. i have only recently been posting most of my poems and short stories but there are many still on the computer. Before blogging i would send a copy of each story or poem without much in the way of explanation. This piece keeps haunting me in that i am constantly feeling thethat i need to post it.
This story was inspired by the story of Badí (explanation to follow). In May of 2006 i boarded a plane and a few hours later found myself at the Tel Aviv, Airport. From there i was but a little more than an hour from Haifa, Israel. In the days when Bahá'u'lláh lived in the Holy Land people would travel, primarily from Iran, on a pilgrimage to see Him. They would travel by horse, camel, caravan,cart etc. However, they mostly traveled by foot.
One youth felt the need to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. He travelled by foot and after many weeks and months of travel he attained His presence. He asked for and was given a task. He was to take Bahá'u'lláhs proclamation to the Shah of Iran. Badí left and without hesitation returned to Iran and found the Shahs encampment. He waited for days until the Shah, out of curiosity, gave him a hearing. The response to the Tablet from Bahá'u'llah was to torture Badí and then end his life in a cruel and viscious manner. Many Bahá'í's can be found with the name Badí today.
This is a story inspired by the story of Badí, it is a story of detachment.
Traveler
His foot came down and struck the earth with the purposeful step and weight of his body, the dust kicking up momentarily and then settling until the next time it would be of service to yet another traveler. With each step reunion was ever closer. How is it that after a brief life of waywardness, direction would be found? The other leg, having already been lifted from this earth was drawn back to it with purpose and struck with another small plume of dust. How could i have forgotten my Beloved and followed my earthly desires, loves with a singular selfish purpose? Another strike of the foot upon the earth, this time with the surprise of a small stone, was a reminder to the traveler that the path to the Beloved is not without its pain. Without care, the traveler ignored the stone as if it was nothing and continued with purpose. The heat of the road radiated up to the traveler as the heat of the sun beat down upon him, this was nothing to the traveler as his thoughts were constantly on the Beloved. This journey was not one of hours or days but of months and in many ways years. Time, place, hunger, and indeed those things of this earth had lost their meaning to this thirsty one. The state of detachment increased with the drop of every foot and each step drew the traveler closer to his Beloved. The dust kicked up by a horse passing the other way flew up as a wall to remind the traveler that he was still part of this earth. The traveler ignored the dust as no more than any other earthly obstacle placed in the way of recognition and attainment of the Beloved.
The rhythm of the steps was undaunted and the traveler, after many weeks of travel and many years of spiritual separation, reached the proximity of the Beloved. He reached the steps that would lead to the fire of reunion, the moth about to reach its heart’s desire, the soul about to be consumed in the fire of reunion with the Beloved. He purposefully climbed each step up leading to the outer chamber, the dust of his travels coming off of him onto the stairs, knowing that it had lost its attachment to the traveler to One much greater, like a friend letting go it fell down and with it all other forms of attachment was shed on those steps. He entered the outer chamber, no longer of this world, the others he found within standing, like shadows or statues pulled aside and making a path that would lead to the Beloved and his heart’s desire. He was burning with the fire of reunion, the flames surrounding him as he approached the open doorway, he entered and was consumed. A new creature, never before seen was born, a new soul, a recreated being, with one more mission for the Beloved.
shiidon, April 15, 2007
This story was inspired by the story of Badí (explanation to follow). In May of 2006 i boarded a plane and a few hours later found myself at the Tel Aviv, Airport. From there i was but a little more than an hour from Haifa, Israel. In the days when Bahá'u'lláh lived in the Holy Land people would travel, primarily from Iran, on a pilgrimage to see Him. They would travel by horse, camel, caravan,cart etc. However, they mostly traveled by foot.
One youth felt the need to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. He travelled by foot and after many weeks and months of travel he attained His presence. He asked for and was given a task. He was to take Bahá'u'lláhs proclamation to the Shah of Iran. Badí left and without hesitation returned to Iran and found the Shahs encampment. He waited for days until the Shah, out of curiosity, gave him a hearing. The response to the Tablet from Bahá'u'llah was to torture Badí and then end his life in a cruel and viscious manner. Many Bahá'í's can be found with the name Badí today.
This is a story inspired by the story of Badí, it is a story of detachment.
Traveler
His foot came down and struck the earth with the purposeful step and weight of his body, the dust kicking up momentarily and then settling until the next time it would be of service to yet another traveler. With each step reunion was ever closer. How is it that after a brief life of waywardness, direction would be found? The other leg, having already been lifted from this earth was drawn back to it with purpose and struck with another small plume of dust. How could i have forgotten my Beloved and followed my earthly desires, loves with a singular selfish purpose? Another strike of the foot upon the earth, this time with the surprise of a small stone, was a reminder to the traveler that the path to the Beloved is not without its pain. Without care, the traveler ignored the stone as if it was nothing and continued with purpose. The heat of the road radiated up to the traveler as the heat of the sun beat down upon him, this was nothing to the traveler as his thoughts were constantly on the Beloved. This journey was not one of hours or days but of months and in many ways years. Time, place, hunger, and indeed those things of this earth had lost their meaning to this thirsty one. The state of detachment increased with the drop of every foot and each step drew the traveler closer to his Beloved. The dust kicked up by a horse passing the other way flew up as a wall to remind the traveler that he was still part of this earth. The traveler ignored the dust as no more than any other earthly obstacle placed in the way of recognition and attainment of the Beloved.
The rhythm of the steps was undaunted and the traveler, after many weeks of travel and many years of spiritual separation, reached the proximity of the Beloved. He reached the steps that would lead to the fire of reunion, the moth about to reach its heart’s desire, the soul about to be consumed in the fire of reunion with the Beloved. He purposefully climbed each step up leading to the outer chamber, the dust of his travels coming off of him onto the stairs, knowing that it had lost its attachment to the traveler to One much greater, like a friend letting go it fell down and with it all other forms of attachment was shed on those steps. He entered the outer chamber, no longer of this world, the others he found within standing, like shadows or statues pulled aside and making a path that would lead to the Beloved and his heart’s desire. He was burning with the fire of reunion, the flames surrounding him as he approached the open doorway, he entered and was consumed. A new creature, never before seen was born, a new soul, a recreated being, with one more mission for the Beloved.
shiidon, April 15, 2007
posted by Shiidon at 2:41 PM
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