Love dogs
by Jelaluddin Rumi, tr. Coleman Barks

   One night a man was crying,
   Allah! Allah!
   His lips grew sweet with the praising,
   until a cynic said,
   "So! I have heard you
   calling out, but have you ever
   gotten any response?"

   The man had no answer to that.
   He quit praying and fell into a confused sleep.

   He dreamed he saw Khidr, the guide of souls,
   in a thick, green foliage.
   "Why did you stop praising?"
   "Because I've never heard anything back."
   "This longing
   you express is the return message."

   The grief you cry out from
   draws you toward union.

   Your pure sadness
   that wants help
   is the secret cup.

   Listen to the moan of a dog for its master.
   That whining is the connection.

   There are love dogs
   no one knows the names of.

   Give your life
   to be one of them.