Opportunity
Sometimes you hear a knock
Quiet, but you know it’s there
Who is it at the door
To who you must give care?
It doesn’t happen often
This visitor doesn’t always come
But it cannot be ignored
Something must be done
This could change your life
It could be the boost you need
You may be feeling stuck
This could set you free
Some take the chance
Others the hard way learn
Opportunity is quick to leave
And late to return
Rushing is roughness
Rushing is roughness
Nothing is handled with care
And too much rushing makes you sick
With headaches and anxiety
A steady pace is gentle
And the speed is just right
Even one act done with gentleness
Makes you a bit calmer
Rushing is ugly
Gentleness is beauty
See how gently the bird lands
On a branch of a tree
Rushing is intimidating
Gentleness is more friendly
Let rushing rush ahead
Tripping and slipping
Annoying others and itself
Getting into accidents
And feeling miserable
Watch gentleness walk past
At a steady pace
With a smile
Pleased, and pleasing others.
Spinning the wheel
When you stop heating water
It still stays warm
It takes a while to cool
When you take something out of a freezer
It still stays cold for a while
And takes time to defrost
Spin a wheel
Keep spinning, spinning
Then stop
It still moves!
It won’t stop straight away
But will after time
The heavier and more solid the wheel
The quicker it stops
The lighter and more flimsy the wheel
The longer it takes to stop
Working in an office job
Using the mind, the wheel, all day
Constantly turning, turning, spinning!
It won’t stop spinning, exactly at 5pm!
But the stronger you are,
The more control you have
The quicker it stops
The less control you have
The longer it takes to stop
And may even keep moving
When you should be asleep
Take back control.
Striving
How is a beautiful sculpture made?
Carved carefully, with effort
How is glass made?
Sand is heated
Under extremely high temperatures
How is metal shaped?
Again, put into a furnace
In tough conditions
Stone, wood, glass, metal
All materials must endure strain
To be made into something that is at once
Both beautiful, and useful
So what of us?
Worth more than all these materials?
How can we become beautiful, and useful to others
Without struggle?
Indeed, souls are sharpened, strengthened
Through struggle, striving, and patience
Under testing conditions
Yes. Edification of the soul – only through striving.
Struggle is needed
Who likes struggle?
Most of us prefer comfort
But, let’s think a minute:
Unless babies struggled and built up strength
They would never learn to walk
Unless a child struggles with words and sounds
They would never learn to talk
If someone doesn’t struggle with concepts and numbers
They can never sharpen their mind
Unless someone struggles to improve their character
They can never become refined
Unless someone pushes their body with exercise
Their body can’t grow stronger
Yes we all have potential but without being stretched
Even elastic can’t grow longer
And without having struggled through difficulty
How can arrogance be broken?
How can the heart be softened?
How can the soul be woken?
Yes. A strong body, a sharp mind, and a soft heart.
None of these can be achieved without struggle.
When faced with difficulty, the smiling soul
Wishes, and struggles, to overcome it.
There is a truth
When you look lovingly at a loved one’s face
And they look the same, back at you
There is something about this that is
So simple, so beautiful, so true
When you hold each other in an embrace
And a sense of quiet settles you down
All the worlds noises slide away
As do your cares and frown
When of us there will be no trace
What will be the greatest treasure?
Love, which is pure and sacred
Yes, love lives forever
There is a truth.
There is a truth in every look of pure love
In every loving embrace, and in death.
A silent knowing. Yes. A truth.
When death comes to you
When death comes to you
When your star-light fades
When you are neither here or there
And there's a dimness in your gaze
When those around you have accepted
That this is the end
When you have finally accepted
To leave family and friends
When the soul is slowly taken
And you move towards that sleep
The soul is pulled up through the body
[Never a soul does a body keep]
And reaches your throat
And the final moment has come
...Picture this, and ask yourself
Is your work done?
When the soul looks through the eyes
Often we look through the eyes
And see what we see
But ah! When the soul looks through the eyes!
There is a knowing!
Often our minds race so fast
Thoughts, so many, mostly pointless
If they were snowflakes
It would always be snowing!
If they were sound
Then oh! The noise!
As well as snow
A loud wind is blowing!
And with all this chaos
It is difficult to stay focused
And really see
What the world is showing
But quieten the mind
Look without judgement
When the soul looks through the eyes, my friend
The storm calms, and there is a knowing.
MODERN LIFE
Awkward
Where is all this awkwardness from
Where from, is all this timidity?
Hunched, head down, like turtles
Sideways glances
Panic, at a moment’s direct communication
Living, not even half
Constant fear, paranoia
Where from?
All this is from ourselves!
Influenced by others, and our lifestyles
But ultimately, our choice
Cats
Why have we become like cats
Craving comfort
Yes we strive, and strive
But for comfort
And if comfo
rt was already there
We probably wouldn’t strive
Curling up with the softest fabrics
Warm rooms
Sweet and delicious treats
Just leave us here!
We seem to say
How have we become like cats
Craving comfort
And with this attitude
How can we even begin to understand
Th greater bliss, of fasting on a hot day
Testing the patience, and succeeding
Of staying awake at night
To relieve someone else’s difficulty
Yes, for the rights reasons
Moments of discomfort are far, far more precious
Than years of comfort
Dark grey
Depression – dark grey
Dark, dark grey
Formed over millennia of moments
Of tears, compressed, and compressed
To produce a hard, cold rock
Inside us
It doesn’t shift, and weighs us down
Sit with yourself, and heal
Dressing shells
Each day waking up
Feeling depleted, empty inside
We do our best to cover it
Our emptiness we try to hide
Years of self-neglect
Years of bad deeds
Years of corrosive behaviour
Has left us desperately in need
Starving for reform
For fullness, our soul cries
But we ignore it
And tell ourselves lies
Hollow shells, with no substance
And no reflective thought
Just echoing what others say
Like “Hey, look what I bought!”
Dressing up, putting on fancy clothes
And spraying on expensive smells
But it seems like we’re just
Simply dressing shells
Early to rise
Sometimes it’s so hard
To get out of bed!
The alarm goes off
And I’m just not ready!
Quickly get up
Try and stay steady
The go to the alarm
(I put it far away
So that I have to get up
And in bed can’t stay)
I switch the alarm off
And start moving
This saves time
And stops me snoozing
I’ve also learnt:
The longer you stay in bed
That harder it is to get up
And an alarm is better
Than relying on luck
Let’s adopt good habits
And try to be wise
Early to bed
And early to rise
Leaves fall all around us
Leaves fall all around us
Every day, as we walk
We may be lost in our thoughts
Or engaged in some talk
But they fall, they surely do
Every day people die
Many don’t see the next morning
We wake up as they lie
Leaves on the ground lie.
And join long history’s page
And seasons change so quickly
First spring of youth, then old age
Every family tree has experienced this
Most the leaves have fallen, not many around
Us, maybe our parents and grandparents
Are left, and hang closest to the ground
Leaves fall all around us
Every day, as we walk
We may be lost in our thoughts
Or engaged in some talk
Peace knocks on our door
Peace knocks on our door and says:
“Can I come in?”
And we say:
“Sorry, I’m busy in sin”
Peace knocks again and says
“Can’t I even come home”
And we say:
“Sorry, I’m busy on my phone”
Peace knocks again and says:
“When will you have time for me?”
And we say:
“Look, I’m busy, can’t you see?”
Peace says:
“But I thought it was me you always wanted”
And we say:
“Yes…but… not yet”. ?
In fact peace comes to our door many times
And we ignore it as it knocks
We waste a colossal amount of time
Till the stopping of our clock
Procastin…
I’ll write the rest later.
This is how we sometimes do things.
“Don’t do tomorrow what you can do today”
Is a phrase we should try to follow
But it seems we think we shouldn’t do today
What we can do tomorrow
Using this philosophy not much will get done
And with this, let’s conclude that…..
Sins
Sins make you heavy
They slow you down
Sins stop you from smiling
And make you frown
Sins make you feel worse
They make you feel shame
You don't feel clean
The inside feels stained
Sins take your fire
You feel cold like ice
Nothing moves you
Nothing seems nice
Sins make you lonely
You have no friends, or few
You don't trust anyone
In case they're like you
Sins cause confusion
You can't think straight
Always uneasy, restless
And yourself you hate
Sins waste time
They make you sad
There is no doubt
That sins are bad.
Stay on the right, son
Hey, listen here son, sit up
Stay on the right son, don’t mess up
Learn from me, just live simple, straight
Be an honest fellow, trust me mate
These things other guys do just make you hollow
And regret is something so difficult to swallow
You follow them and you’ll lose your zip
Throughout life you’ll struggle and slip
You’ll always be in a stress and fret
You’ll lose that spring in your step
Even when with people you’ll feel alone
You’ll feel distant even when at home
So listen here son, sit up
Stay on the right son, don’t mess up.
Technology
At the push of a button so many can be killed
Bombs can be dropped on people at will
We don’t even need planes, we can use drones
Sit in our home, destroying others homes
Tell me, is this progress?
Yes technology enables us to do amazing things
Look at all the convenience it brings
It can help save us so much time
But our sickness has also gone online
Cybercrime, online bullying
Spreading fear, prejudice and hate
Advanced technology doesn’t necessarily mean
That we’re in an advanced human state
As well as making technological breakthroughs
Let’s not forget to work on ourselves.
The world is like a jigsaw
The world map looks like a jigsaw
Except the pieces keep becoming more
Where did all this division come from?
Why so much conflict and war?
Every day if you see the news
People fighting, causing separation
It’s always happened in the past too
Just now we have more information
But it’s still not right, we must try together
A
nd have a firm resolve
This is one puzzle for which we need to
Come together, and solve
Let’s start with ourselves
And not argue or fight
Co-operation is day, see and progress
And separation is night.
TV
We have our set timings
Each day we give it attention
One of our most popular devices
Does it even need a mention?
Of course, it’s the TV!
Sometimes we watch it alone
But prefer watching in congregation
Rarely watching something useful
Mostly absorbing useless information
It holds a prominent place in our homes
Every day millions towards it turn
Even our furniture is arranged in line with it
But something more important we have spurned
The prayer
The dedication we should have
The focus, the attention
The facing towards the Qibla
Alone and in congregation
We have put all this into the TV instead
Life is short, let’s be careful how we tread
Two ducks
Two ducks were swimming in the pond
Everything was fine, but before long
One duck bumped into the other
As it was chased, it ran for cover
On the side it sat quietly for a bit
But didn't wallow in a negative pit
It thought of what happened no more
Jumped back in and swam like before
[Imagine it had been like us]:
How dare he chase me like that!
I'll go over to him, have a chat
In fact, why should I be so polite
I'll call him over and have a fight!
I'm tell all the other ducks
Then all alone he'll be stuck
Then when he's on his own I'll come
And say, "see, now who's won?"
He thinks he can get away with this
I'm going to show him my fists
I'll hit him, peck him, trip him up
His peace I'm going to disrupt
I'm going to chase him too
I'll make him into duck stew!
Oh, he'll be sorry, he really will
I'll............then...............
.............yes I'm going to.........
..............................................
.....I can't sleep.....................
..............no peace.............
.........
Which programme do you want with that?
Which programme do you want with that?
What shall we watch with our evening meal
Yesterday you watched what you wanted
So let's be fair and make a deal
With today's evening meal
Let's watch a soap, a drama
Eating without TV makes me nervous
With the TV on I feel calmer
Heads darting in panic like pigeons
Between the TV and the food
If I gave a person this little attention
It would be considered rude!
But we look at the food just enough
To make sure it lands between our teeth
The TV gets most of our attention
You'd never think we've sat down to eat!
When I said we're having our evening meal
One may think I lied
It seems here that TV is the main course
The food is just the side!!
Which sauce?
Which sauce should we have with this?
Tomato sauce? Garlic sauce? Mayonnaise?
So much choice, and we’re already full
But still eating and eating in a daze
Overeating has made our bellies stick out
Back pain and ill health starts to show
We feel bad, so what solution have we found?
Comfort food! Let’s eat more!
We should only eat when hungry
And even then, not eat till we’re full
Otherwise ugly laziness creeps in
And one feels tired, slow and dull
When you’re hungry, food tastes so much nicer
When full, even delicious food tastes ok at most
Yes, when deciding what to eat with food
The choice is clear – hunger is the best sauce.
OTHER
All board!
All aboard! All aboard!
This is the train of life!
First stop – as babies
So helpless and in need
They could grow so big
They are our seeds
Some get off the train here
And in infancy, die
Next stop is youth
Passion bubbles in the chest
Used badly, it brings out the worst
Used well, it brings out the best
Some get off the train here
And in the prime of youth, die
Next stop, middle age
Some have learnt and the self is tamed
Some are just increasing in age
And the soul is just the same
Some get off the train here
And in “middle” age, they die
Old age, the mind may still be sharp
But the body begins to slow and ache
Seeing loved ones dying around us
Makes the heart cry and break
But the journey is ending
This is the final stop
Anyone still on the train
Will have to get off
Death comes, sooner or later
This is the train of life.
Old friends
How I love the simile!
It is like an old friend
Always answers the call
Always its help it lends
When I want to explain something
It really helps me out
But there’s another dear friend
Who I must talk about
The metaphor!
I love the metaphor so much!!
Yes, the metaphor is a precious pearl
In something so small
So much value, and beauty
In a few words, the whole
The simile and metaphor
With another dear friend, rhyme
They’ve always stayed together
And stood the test of time
Even when my days are over
And from this mortal realm I’m gone
I know metaphor, simile and rhyme
Their friendship will carry on.
Orange
A glow, a sudden brightness
On her face
Energy and laughter
It seems the colour orange
Beams from inside her
The sun, matching her brightness
Our child, brightening our lives
When Mr Grumpy died
Ferocious fever had gripped him
“This is the end!” he cried
He thought the earth beneath him
Had shook its head and sighed
His relatives rushed to see him
With them he used to confide
All his complaints about the world
And they were still at his side
He was still so angry
The anger made his eyes open wide
His face grew stern and hot
He felt everyone had lied
He felt things for him had been tough
And everyone else had an easy ride
This was his last thought
As Mr Grumpy died
[Soon it was morning, the sun was out
And children laughed and played outside
Thousands of scenes like this in his life
He could have seen them, he n
ever tried]
Who lifted the door of Khyber?
Who lifted the door of Khyber?
He is Ali, he is Haider
Lion of God, defender of truth
Like Ali there is no youth
His name gives strength, helps overcome
Over so many so few have won
Whoever loves Ali truly wins
Because love of Ali burns up sins
The Prophet is the city of knowledge, Ali is its gate
Stop looking for another entrance, give up your hate
Feeling peace and joy, truths you begin to see
When you say with love and zest the name of Ali.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Insights Page 2
