Freedom’s Edge, a Poem

By Yerusalem Work

You stood castle-high, singing on the midnight-moonlit balcony

Your voice reached across the vast, star-scattered skies

Tears poured from my eyes

You left a palace to address the issue of contentment

You gave us light—a messenger of the messengers

My thoughts took flight

The height of a hummingbird, the rhythm complete with hope inside me

You elevate me

I face you and my soul smiles,

the kiss of peace greeting you with solemnity

In a labyrinth of faith-filled​ promises,

I push against the walls of fear and regret.

I travel with poetry as my guide.

You illuminate the day and night

with your heart’s meditation

The fire you put in me makes me rise to my feet–

I see shadows repeat in a cave of my doing,

but nothing can compare to your presence

Only now can I breathe

with depth and freedom,

only now do I discover the unveiling of life, the mystery of being

Through love,

I become human

Through prayer,

I experience divine union and

the absence of time.

You, the cliff’s edge, are sublime.

You, a decorated hero, are the friend I find by the riverside.

Dipping in our consciousness…never the same feeling twice.

Happiness. Lovingkindness.

Splashing in knowledge, refreshing, an awakening,

I ask you to dream with me and carry me with you through our journey.

I am a butterfly alight on your shoulder.

Graceful movement. Grateful conclusions.

Reading into you. I believe in forgotten truths.

I pray the Lord heals me and you.

After terrible loss,

having a hand to hold is proof of God’s mercy. 

I am on my knees and only He can hear me. 

Who truly knows me?

To hear the author read this poem, please visit:  https://www.facebook.com/100004823402356/posts

Yerusalem Work, a creative writer and the membership director of the Congregational Library Association, has a heart for interfaith dialogue and is a passionate community builder. A holder of a master’s degree in library science and prolific author, she regularly blogs and self-publishes her writing. Her short stories and poetry have been published in Muslim Matters and Tysons Interfaith. She considers it an honor and a pleasure to write on Islamic themes.

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.