“I was raised on a farm, in the Punjab,
where death and life were accompanied
with the utterance of Allahu Akbar.
Each day and each season’s harvest
was an expression of Gods’ grace.”
This is a quote from my most recent poem titled “Faith with doubt,” which I wrote specifically in preparation for my workshop. The idea of a divine creator was as natural and as real as breathing for me. This was re-inforced even more when I studied Physics at Sheffield University in 1984 when a friend handed me a copy of the Bible. I still have that copy and my conversion to what I call “Christ Consciousness,” has been a slow and gradual one.
I do not believe in an exclusive God who favours one religious sect over another but like some Sufis, who are highly spiritual, I advocate an all inclusive God. I practice Yoga and do long walking mediations in nature. Again to quote my poem “Faith with doubt,”
“When I go walking in the brilliant sunshine
I give thanks for each breath,
for the trembling transparent sea waves,
for the way gannets plummet into the sea,
leaving behind a galaxy of glitter,
for the infinite graces of life…”
I am privileged to live in such a beautiful part of Scotland and find God in abundance all around. I love the expression and mysterious act of creating poems and hope to share that thrill of drawing something out of the spiritual domain/experience into the beauty and challenge of language. If any one interested in attending my workshop is bi-lingual and feels inclined to translate either of the above quotes please bring it along to the workshop. I would love to hear your translation and look forward to share poems with you.
