Writing in Snow

Sunday Speculations and Gratitude List

Jamál (Beauty), 16 ‘Izzat (Might) 175 B.E. - Sunday, September 23, 2018

"Erelong shall the exponents of wealth and power banish Us from the land of Adrianople to the city of ‘Akká. According to what they say, it is the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of them in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water. It is as though it were the metropolis of the owl, within whose precincts naught can be heard save the echo of its cry. Therein have they resolved to imprison this Youth, to shut against our faces the doors of ease and comfort, and to deprive us of every worldly benefit throughout the remainder of our days."

Baha'u'llah12

Most Great Prison

Exiled,
to the metropolis of owls,
the Splendor of the Almighty,
waded ashore and.
entered the prison city of Akka
through the sea gate.

I begin a new poem about Baha'u'llah, inspired by The Sufferings of Baha'u'llah. This is the second poem inspired by this compilation of Baha'u'llahs writings. The first was "The Wronged One of the World" , which is posted in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" . I want to add a couple of more stanzas before I post this in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" . There are about two lines I want to use to refer to Baha'u'llah. Those are (1) the Lamp of Divine Beauty and (2) the Pen of Glory.

Gratitude List for 16 ‘Izzat

Today I am thankful...
          ...that I had chocolate chip cookies to go with my coffee this morning.
          ...that my Bank of America checking account is not overdrawn today.
          ...that I have 3,384,226 GPs in my Gift Points account.
          ...for the beauty of a quiet Sunday afternoon.
          ...that we have working air conditions in this apartment.

Dream

I had a interesting dream last night, if dream you could call it. The only thing I saw was a verse from the Christian Bible. I didn't see the entire verse just the scriptural location, which I wrote down in my journal. I've bee thinking about this off and on all day, and wondering what the dream meant. I Googled the verse and discovered the quote. "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again." John 10:173.

I know this dream occurred after midnight, because I always wake up between 12:00-12:30 A.M. Before I go back to sleep I say the the Midnight prayer revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha. Sometimes I say more prayer; however, last night I only said the Midnight prayer. I can easily access that prayer through an app on my smartphone, so I don't have to turn the light on. Now all I have to do is figure out what the dream meant, maybe I'm supposed to let the quote inspire a poem or story.

Facebook Status Update

I have a journal,
and I have a pen to write
thoughts that come to me
when I wake up
in the middle of the night.

Footnotes
1  The Summons of the Lord of Host, Suri-y-Hakal, paragraph 267, page 133.
2  Quoted in The Sufferings of Baha'u'llah, "The Wronged One of the World', page 22.
3  New International Version