9.
what the pilgrimage could not heal
became news spread among the lips of arabia
the sounds of majnuun’s knocks upon
the ka’bah door
were brought directly to
the ears of layla
and her family
the last embers of their unwilling tolerance
burned away
as layla’s name was now sullied in gossip
spread throughout the muslim world
inside, she smiled
but her clan was incensed
such that they sent representatives to petition
the caliph’s prefect
giving account of his unrestrained madness
citing the danger of his “immoral infection”
spreading across the land
and his enticing verses arousing misplaced
sympathy and contentious debate
they inquired how this canker should be cleansed
that the blemishing of their clan’s reputation
needed to be stopped
and the honor of layla no longer tainted
the etiquette of respect and honor
must be upheld, they argued
to maintain the precious fabric of social order
the prefect’s reply was clear and dramatic
he stood and withdrew his sword from his sheath
“wash away that atrocious stain of a human
with this”
he said as he raised his sword high
“the season for patience is over
and if my men encounter this qays
of the clan of amiir
their hand will be as your hand
in slaying this majnuun”
these words were overheard
by a man of the clan of amiir
who immediately made way
to the home of as-sayyid
as he listened to the man’s account
it was as if sand was slipping through his fingers
it now seemed the only way he could save his son
was to imprison him in his own home
but as he opened the door to qays’ room
majnuun was gone
leaving a bed of scattered sheets
with a note upon it that read
“there is no reality but layla
she is all, she is all”
tears fell from the old man’s eyes
disaster felt imminent
the clan sent out a mass of men
to search for a needle in the blowing desert sands
but they all returned empty-handed
without a trace of majnuun’s whereabouts
the presence of death trailing as their shadows
lamentations filled the home of as-sayyid
as if the clan was mourning his death
before seeing his corpse
the continuing days of his absence offered no relief
because his people did not know
the pearl found safety in a hidden clam
in a most remote place in the depths of
the wilderness
he exiled himself to solitude
physical suffering he bore
for his mind was still uneased
yet the unforeseen benefit
was the purging of all selfishness
he became completely emptied and purified for love
the lack of shelter and insufficient food
compared not to the torturous grief of separation
one that humbled him to a more devout
commitment to love
such that in the home of his aloneness
he sang his verses to the guests of the heavens
to the sun, the moon, and the stars
to the angels, if they chose to give him ear
even to the unseen throne of the beloved
and even to the wind when it drew low and near
yet none of these carried his words
beyond his place of isolation
so to the world beyond
he remained invisible
and to the things of the world
he remained unaware and uninterested in
within love
his beloved
was his only focus
* * *
only by chance
a man gone astray from a desert path
stumbled upon his hidden spot
the bent figure first dismissed as a mirage
until the frail body emitted a moan
the man questioned this figure
who only stared at the ground
no words given, no reply
“perhaps he’s a criminal fleeing human justice
only to be served the desert’s version instead
let him die”
as destiny would have it,
words of him telling this encounter in town
reached the ears of as-sayyid
desperate to hope
the old man seized upon the possibility
that this wasted bag of bones
might be his not-yet-perished son
he and his men immediately set off to the desert
nearing that place to be greeted by
indecipherable moans
yet, a peculiar observation,
there was something beautiful
in the debilitated mutters
as-sayyid dismounted his horse
bidding his men to wait yet stay ready
he went forth with his hand upon his sword
toward the moans straining to intone
another melody
walking around the bend of a large rock
he saw the weathered remains of qays
who had become a full majnuun,
his body broken
a scant of flesh upon protruding bones
his mind even more broken
completely severed from the body’s dismay
the father’s knees buckled
as he froze in suspense
watching his son struggle to stand,
moan,
and then collapse to the ground
when their eyes met
the son looked at the father
as if he was a complete stranger
he then tried to crawl on
groaning another attempt at a verse
his quest for volume
made his weak voice indecipherable
yet there was a distinct feeling within the whimpers
something encased by sincere longing
something conveying warmth and love
as-sayyid stood before majnuun
and in the proximity of their presence
something familiar rang true
he realized the falling tears belonged to his father
this is my father before me
“oh, you to whom i owe the inheritance
of my soul
please accept my fallen body as a kneel before you
i plead for your forgiveness
turn away if your eyes can forget
the sight of my body in such shame
inquire not my state
only ask fate,
if you wish,
who tosses me about
like a grain of sand in the winds
of harrowing time”
❍ ● ❍