There Must Be A Good Reason

by Lahab Assef Al-Jundi

Why is it difficult for us to reach “beyond the veil”?

To communicate?

To receive unambiguous messages?

-

There must be a good reason!

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Our world, this universe we know,

is a dimension of time and space.

“The beyond” has to be different,

otherwise, it is not a “beyond” at all!

-

The senses we depend on here

all require space and time—

It takes time for light to travel in space

before it reaches our eyes.

Same for sound waves stirring our ears.

Smell, taste and touch all trek through

intricate pathways

from physical receptors to decoding centers

in our brains.

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What is existence like without space-time?

Without physical senses?

Without physical bodies?

How do we get to know it?

-

How do our questions, prayers, and attempts

to simply say hello

show up beyond the veil?

-

Perhaps stillness is the gateway?

Heart, the translator?

Love letters to

and from…

LAHAB ASSEF AL-JUNDI's poetry has appeared in collections such as In These Latitudes, Ten Contemporary Poets and Inclined to Speak, An Anthology of Arab American Poetry, as well as many other anthologies and literary journals. His latest poetry collection, No Faith At All, was published by Pecan Grove Press.