Friendship

Well, tomorrow Shervin arrives back at his mothers home town of Antwerp, Belgium. He will spend a couple of days with his grandfather and if all goes well he will be visiting parts of Antwerp, Bruges and Paris. I think that my absence from poems for a time now has been from being a worried parent brooding over what was happening. Apparently he is having a good time now and has rented and ridden bikes in Denmark, German and the Netherlands. I look forward to having him home in just 11 more days. I am particularly moved by the fact that Shervin has been tested and stood his ground on not drinking alcohol, backbiting and other such tests that confront us so much in our lives. He also found the value and importance of prayer which is profound to me as well.

I am also seeing the semester ending for the English as a foreign language program that I am working with in Iran. The class ends around the 20th of August. I am certain that this is an area of service that I will continue to do as it is so rewarding and all of us learn different things together.

This poem came to me a few days ago.

FRIENDSHIP

It hits like a stone
Bringing with it
An audible groan
i turn left and right
As if the answer
Is in sight

Then i spy
Before my eye
A friend indeed
One who will heed
And most likely
Not misread

am I right
am I wrong
the answer for which
I long

Through friendship and trust
The question is thrust
the conversation flows
with thoughts between us
An understanding shows

‘Ti's not about
right or wrong
But rather in what way
do we belong
for as these test come
the better we become

in the end
‘Ti's not anothers will
To which we bend
we gather the words
spoken with trust
and with care
from which we share
the answer we know
and from which we grow
-Shiidon, July 2008