Dear Anne: Dawn, Bulvar Palais, Istanbul, Turkey, November 19th I woke this morning before dawn, my first morning in Istanbul. The clouds are grey and I can see the dull red clay roofs begin to brighten between me and the Bosphorus. The skies are full of silent seagulls circling the minarets. Before the sun rose,… Continue Reading »
My Guide Explains the Iliad Homer was from Smyrna, which is modern-day Izmir, and 600 years after the events, he wove all of the stories of Troy into one long poem. Basically, the story is that peaceloving Troy had a king who had a son who it was predicted would prove to be his undoing,… Continue Reading »
Meditations on Rumi I recite poems in order to please and treat kindly and keep busy the dear friends who come to visit me. Otherwise, I am far from reciting poems. [I]t has become necessary for me to recite poems since others have wished for this.—Rumi At night the sky is the color of… Continue Reading »
What I Understand about of Islam The basic practice in Islam is total submission to God’s will (Inshallah, if God wills). There are Six Articles of Faith: I believe God is one and only. Mohammed was his last prophet, but I also accept all of the other prophets, including the Jewish and Christian prophets, and… Continue Reading »
Meditations on Rumi I recite poems in order to please and treat kindly and keep busy the dear friends who come to visit me. Otherwise, I am far from reciting poems. [I]t has become necessary for me to recite poems since others have wished for this.—Rumi At night the sky is the color of… Continue Reading »
On the Bus to Cappadoccia Two newlywed Pakistani doctors are sitting behind me on the long bus ride from Izmir to Cappadoccia. He’s dressed in a black linen suit and she wears a red silk sari and her neck and the top of her head are covered a pearled black scarf. They mostly talk in… Continue Reading »
Dear Kai Today was the first day I ever felt in any danger on this trip. We’d pulled into a rest stop at the same time as three buses carrying fundamentalist Moslems to an anti-Bush, anti-U.S., anti-Iraq-war rally. When they saw us pulling in, one of the young men on their bus began papering each… Continue Reading »
Notes on a History of Turkish Dancing Performed at a Theater in Istanbul Sema, from the 13th century, contemporary with Rumi, was a spiritual dance which involved spinning in place with your eyes closed, one hand pointed up to receive blessings, one hand pointed downwards to the pulse of the earth. The dancers—always men—spun in… Continue Reading »
Dear Sue A flower is without end in that its seeds continue, or I guess it’d be more accurate to say flowers are without end. The moon takes its light from the sun, a light that would burn us if it came any closer, the light that transforms the golden olive leaves into tatters. Apart… Continue Reading »