A Knife of the Finest Tempering

February 2023

(inspired by Rumi - The One Thing You Must Do)

there’s nothing more dangerous

than a dull knife

nervously perched above

the slick skin of an onion

unsure of its ability to go

down

to sever what is intended

displaying the treasure that resides within

instead, risking to bring harm

to the one that handles the blade

for lack of preparation and forethought

the blade is tempered by listening

it finds the heat of the fire

by following that ancient voice

that whispers at inappropriate and inconvenient times

starting as a small bubbling in the gut

growing more intense the longer it is ignored

and sometimes bringing harm

much in the same way as the dull blade

if only you would listen

all would be revealed

all that you hunger for would be tempered just as the blade

by passing through those trials and tribulations

which the mind would fear

to bring about annihilation

how can my blade survive this inferno

which appears to swallow all that enters?

this is the only way to discover what lies behind the facade

to find the razors edge of being

that has always been lying dormant

waiting to be revealed

Chosen