Easter

They say he knew of his fall
He bore his cross and all
In humility walked the path
Though it lead to fearful wrath
For he knew his Father's will
And he bore none no ill
He resisted not his end
For he knew he would ascend.

In pain and blood he walked
To insults and shouts he gently talked.
They nailed him to the wood
With criminals he stood
For hours on the cross
To mankind what a loss
His life was then no more
His spirit did then soar.

His body in a cave
His disciples so brave
He died then resurrected
The cross was thus erected
A symbol of divine
His spirit may be mine
He taught us much, he knew
That death will free us too.

For in the life we live
If we simply forgive
And let go of all that is
And holding on we cease,
We too can bear our cross
And burn and purge our dross
Surrender to our Father's will
Watch, listen, feel, be still.

And when we hear God's command
We act, and understand
God's plan is the best
It outshines all the rest
This not our mortal test
For thus we are blest.
And onto death we go
Head high, brave, we know.
For only death will free us
Resurrect our soul and see us
To the path of joy and glory
With courage, without worry.
Our bodies alive or dead
Our souls will transcend
And bodies dead or living
Immortally glowing, giving.

Moses

Born of Hebrew blood, I understand
In time for Pharaoh's command
To put down every Hebrew son
New born, not one could run.

He was yet another common child
Small, fragile, innocent, mild;
Yet for greatness he was destined
To rule the desert, the sea and the wind.

Unnamed, floated for a while
Plucked by a Princess from the Nile
For God protects chosen men
Safe and sound in lion's den.

A prince he grew, strong and kind
Handsome, courageous, a sharp mind
Master of his nation's health
Power, charisma, peace and wealth.

About to become the next Pharaoh
Only a disaster could stop him now
And then the destined hour to know
Where he was born, where he grow

The deep drive to know the root
The destiny of the fruit
The Prince rejected kingship
To embrace his kinship

Mastery and power he let go
Kingdom of Egypt, he said no
What courage, what power
To reject all in an hour.

Former Prince, a Hebrew slave
To learn, understand, behave
To die to so much worldly good
Accept thirst, pain, humility for food.

But God keeps destined men well
Even in the darkest depths of hell
Hunger, pain, sickness, abuse
Experience, feel, don't refuse.

Tempered by hot sun and stinging lashes
The soul's alchemy turned his dross to ashes
The pure gold emerged compassionate, wise
Ready to lead, against oppression rise.

But to replace one mastery with another
Need not go through such pain and bother
His destiny was stronger than all Egypt
Surrender was needed, even to the crypt.

He had no choice, was lead by compulsion
His faith strong, his only propulsion
For to return was to undo his fate
Himself to deceive in this hour late.

And to go on into the desert was sure death
By the burning sun and dry dust, breath by breath.
But the Prince of Egypt had faith untold
Step by step he went on, courageous, bold

And step by step, day and night
Through the dark night and hot desert white
Until he could walk not one step more
Torn, dry, hungry, fell to the desert floor

To God and angel of death he surrendered
But a stray ram, God's promise remembered
The searching shepherd found the ram by Prince's head
Gave him water, to food and life the Prince was lead.

In his surrender to death and life and God
He embraced God as his shepherd, staff and rod
For his surrender was true alchemy
Even unto death and then was set free.

For though a great spirit, and destined too
The ways of this world in which he grew
He learnt and understood, then must display
Detachment, surrender, faith, night and day.

Only then the Prince for greatness was ready
Spirit of God would keep his vessel steady
Such displays as the devouring snake and turning the Nile red
Parting the Red Sea, then closing it upon soldiers head.

And each of us is a prince of Egypt and more
Destined for greatness, able to fly and soar
But from fear, we are let upon our Nile
Only to be saved on the safe shore with guile

Grow to master worldly skills
The baker bakes, the farmer tills,
But comes the time we long to know
Whence do we come, why thus grow?

Only to find we are spirits in a material world
Weak, strong, black, white, young, old
Then if we die to the old ways of life
We transform, experience pain and strife

Struggle long till we learn to surrender
Trust in God, even if death the sole remainder
And if we die, who knows, we may simply die
Else it is not surrender, only a fake promise, a lie.

As spirits we cannot choose otherwise
For to do so is worse than demise.
For once we see, we may ignore, forget or pretend
But to unsee, never, the straight cannot bend;

Once understood, we can interpret, twist and turn
But to un-understand cannot be, how can fire unburn.
And so it is the choice of the spirit and soul
To compulsively move on, forge ahead whole;

Only then can greatness of God show
Through us the love of God shall flow
The winds of time in our favor will blow
Like the Prince of Egypt, we'll glow
We'll move mountains, high and low
Learn, live, love, in spirit grow.

© Shahriar Shahriari

Morning Prayer

I have had my morning shower
And feel like a spring flower,
Clad only with a thin layer
I begin my daily prayer:
"O infinite Intelligence
Help me sharpen my every sense
Everything that's surrounding me
With every sense, feel, hear, see
Taste and smell every scent
On living life be intent.
May I be the complete me
Become what I can fully be;
May I overcome my every fear
With courage obstacles disappear;
May I dissolve my every hate
Increase my love and patiently wait
For its powers to take effect
Transform evil in every respect;
May I understand Thy Will
Toil at it with my every skill;
May I do whatever is right
Regardless of what it brings at night,
May rightness for me be its own reason
Omitting Right is worse than treason;
May I be among those men
Who renew the world and then
Sleep sound, with a clear mind
Tomorrow begin the same kind
Of day, living day by day
Relying on Thee to find the way.
Finally help me be like men
Who live for Life and Thee. Amen."

Here are all your children in one place,
Enshrined behind some glass within a frame.
A picture's like a word, a sign, a name,
Symbolic of a much more complex grace.
Years of memories lie behind each face,
A wild sea no blessing can contain;
Years and years of love, of joy, of pain,
Of mysteries no heart can hope to trace.
Here are all the objects of your love,
A frozen section cut away from Time,
A summit between dreams and memories,
Which you need only look this way to climb;
An icon for domestic reveries
Through which a thousand answered prayers move.

Blessings are the things we take for granted.
Each holiday we notice what we see.
Most know the Earth is utterly enchanted
Yet walk through life and love mechanically.
Valuing one's gifts takes resolution
After days and nights of fantasy.
Love brings the sweet relief of absolution,
Enveloping our hesitance in need.
No touch inspires so swift a revolution,
Transforming all the hieroglyphs we read.
In your love is the charity of spring,
Neither self-obsessed nor blinded by some creed,
Embracing the grey dawns that blessings bring.

Beyond the many mouths
Of the imagination,
Or dreams,
Which give us words,
Is numbness
Like a wind
Through icy branches,
Or the dead center
Of what we know.
In a stillness
That whispers,
A silence
That rustles
Like dead leaves,
Clacking like branches
In the night,
In the darkness burning,
We cannot look
Upon others
Without compassion,
Or upon ourselves
Without fear.

Wedding Poems