Devotional Poetry

19 Metaphors in Short Poems

1
Proof of the Existence of God

Steam venting
from the planet's core
ascends over an ocean of sand.

2
Obedience to the Laws of God

A comet moving around the sun,
I advance in the path of faith
as atom by atom
the winds of test
strip my coma from dust and gas
transforming me in my obedience.

3
Feast of Love

The food of the faithful
the fragments
of their broken hearts.

4
Faith's Tests

Hope is given,
hopelessness proffered;
Trouble's choices is silently
breathing prayers
or hopelessness asking forgiveness:
hopefulness received.

5
Freedom

Sometimes
you just have to let go.

Let go
of the past!

Let go
of the fear!

Let go
of the hate!

Let go
of everything
except Baha'u'llah!

6
Fire of Hope

The fire of hope
burns in the heart of Earth,
Silently consuming everything
that does not contribute to survival.

7
Feast Readings

Vibrating atoms
Carry to His lovers' ears
Echoes of the Pen of God.

8
Work As Worship: Filing Disk

Segregated by symbols
each class must be placed numerically
into color coded sections.

Perfection
is the ability
to find a name alphabetically
in the proper section.

9
Doubt

Wind
slips through
a crack in the door:
banshees screaming.

10
Fragrance of the Beloved

The fragrant taste
of wintergreen and peppermint
in my mouth
at the same time.

11
DNA

Variegated strands
are spun into rainbow threads
and woven.

Woven into
spiral patterns of light
reflecting divine unity.

12
Doubt

Out of the mire of matter
The dove of faith ascends
Its mud besmirched wing dragging it down
Into the swamp again.

13
Day Without Sunshine

A day without prayer
Is cloudy, dark, and drear.
The tragedy occurs
When a day becomes a year.

14
Utopian

Utopian
is the name
given by unbelievers
to the concept that--
despite its diversity
of color,
gender,
nation,
thought,
or religion--
can unite humanity
beneath the banner
of one universal faith.

15
Undoing Racism
On An Individual Level

To question
or not to question
this is the challenge!

Is it
nobler in the end
to accept,
unquestioned,
the ego's desire
to be better
than another?

Or to take arms
against a sea of fears and,
in so doing,
discover your true self?

16
Upon Faith

I bring you faith. Quest. What will faith do?
         Ans. It will crucify you.
I bring you faith. Quest. What will faith do?
         Ans. It will strengthen you.
I bring you faith. Quest. What will faith do?
         Ans. It will satisfy you.

17
Ridvan

Rejoice
for this is
the Day of the Lord.

18
Knowledge of Self

The door shut tight to everyone
Save those who seek the truth
Is opening now for me
And standing behind it I see me.

19
Naw-Ruz

The rays of God's dawning light
scatters the forces of night,
sending into hiding
the foul smelling creatures of darkness,
and bestowing new life
on all turning to the light.

Poet's Note: ▼

I wrote these metaphors over several years. The titles suggest the metaphor.