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Halima Hagi-Mohamed

Orphic Possession

She watches with still eyes 
While whirling dervishes spin 
In a hypnosis of devotion and surrender 
The white of their cloth
Becomes like wool being spun 
Vertigo is entirely forbidden to them 
As they continue to spin 
On and on 
The lights dim at once 
Soon they are covered in a glow of blue light 
The atmosphere is electric 
They continue to move in a quick motion 
Balanced by the weight of their souls 

***

 

There is hardly any sweets left 
In the box of Turkish delights 
The children look on despite this 
While the whirling dervishes twirl 
Never stopping to pant or rest 
They continue to spin in a circle 
Their sikke never bouncing 
Or falling off their their heads 
A golden light soon fills the gathering 
The day is drawing to a close 
The children are still perched 
Watching, never blinking 
The dervishes spin on 
As if they were dreidels
Held only by time 

***

The sufi singers sway 
Reciting dhikr in a sweet cadence  
Their heads bouncing up and down 
Like jolts of light in the galaxy 
They are driven with an insatiable need 
To find solace within the soul 
As they wait to embark on a journey 
Of everlasting serenity and bliss 

Sean Ewing Crimson_Elegance.jpg

THE COURTSHIP OF WINDS

© 2015 by William Ray

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