Devotional Poetry

19 Poems on Prayer

1
Power of Prayer

Electricity
flows continually,
flip the switch off
it flows to other bulbs.

Flip
the switch on
it flows through
the switch to light
the bulb, and on to other switches.

2
Wind Chimes

Wind chimes echoing
the spoken word.

In the crisp morning air
they become
voices from the minarets
calling the faithful to prayer.

3
Prayer Defined

Incense
ascending to the altar
of the Beloved.

4
Obligatory Prayer

Testify
to the Beloved's wealth,
Worship Him alone,

take form hold in His
Sacred Scriptures;

turn completely to His light:
prayer is
living water,
love's essence...

the soul's desires.

5
Day Without Prayer

A day without prayer
is like a day without sunshine
cloudy and dark and drear.

The tragedy occurs
when a day
becomes a year.

6
Sage Smoke

O Creator!
My prayers are sage smoke rising
Out of the bowl of my tribulations
Purifying my achievements.

7
Prayer Chanted in Farsi

Words intoned
in the language of the Beloved.

Peace descends
silencing the noisy mind.

Phrases unrecognized
speak directly to the soul.

Words recognized
through innate understanding.

8
Pray For Peace

Pray for the peace of Haifa;
Pray for the peace of the world;
Pray for the end of fighting;
Pray for rebuilding the world.

9
Power of Prayer

The soul can surmount
Through the power of prayer
The insurmountable

Persistent prayer
Is the prerequisite for
Overcoming self

10
Power Breakfast

The sun turns the sky pink,
with newborn rays of light.
The night's fast is broken
by prayers chanted in the dawn.

11
Dawn Prayers

My tongue
writes love's Most Great Name
on dawn's first rays.

Transforms
pale morning into day.

12
Dawn Prayers

The Beloved knocks at my door,
He summons me to His presence:
He calls my name at sunrise,
I am roused from my slumber;
I rise to open the door,
my limbs are unable to move;
I lift my voice in praise,
I intone words of the Beloved.

13
My Prayer

O Help in Peril!
Enable me to prosper.
O Self-Subsisting!
Transform my fire to light.

14
My supplication

O Thou Creator of the Universe,
I thank Thee for this day and this chance ti serve,
Thank You, O my Lord,
For allowing me to drink of Thine eternal waters,
And for teaching me the meaning of Thy sacred scriptures.

O Reveal of the True Path,
I ask for Thy forgiveness and mercy.
Guide me in Thy way and teach me Thine eternal truth.
O my Lord,
I ask that I may serve Thee in both this world and the next.

15
My Prayer

In the Name of God
the Exalted, the Most Great;
He of the Wonderful names.

Creator and Judge;
Beloved of the mystic;
the poet's inspiration.

Help me to hunger
for the fruit of the Tree of life;
wind of divine unity.

16
To the All-Glorious Lord

You are the Qiblih of my desire,
Your words have ignited my soul's fire.

For you I walk naked through acid rain,
seek only to emblazon your name.

In all created things I see your reflection,
Your voice is echoed in all religions.

Your are Christ returned in the Father's Glory,
The Lord of Host leading twenty thousand saints.

17
Gratitude

Thou generous one!
Thou who supplies all my needs;
Thank you for the gift of life.

18
Blue Shift

Prayer's light waves
flow from my tongue;
my spirit's wavelength shortens
as I approach the Beloved.

19
Prayerful Attitude

The name by which we call God doesn't matter,
Vital is the spirit in which we utter the prayer.

Poet's Note: ▼

I wrote these poems over several years. The inspiration for these poems was the Baha'i scriptures.