{"id":3286,"date":"2019-12-16T00:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T05:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/?p=3286"},"modified":"2019-12-16T13:53:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T18:53:54","slug":"dec-16-the-last-day-before-the-seven-o-antiphons-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2019\/12\/16\/dec-16-the-last-day-before-the-seven-o-antiphons-begin\/","title":{"rendered":"Dec 16 — the last day before the Seven “O Antiphons” begin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday, December 16 \u00a0\u2013 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cI am going to smuggle some more of your laughter into this poem\u201d<\/p>\n

Today has a feeling of wrapping things up for this semester \u2014 even though academic work remains in many parts of the university for next week. \u00a0When undergrads finish exams, most of our younger citizens at Detroit Mercy pack and head out to Christmas break. \u00a0More and more faculty finish all their grading labors and begin to taste the fresh air of break time. \u00a0And, for someone who has loved the great seven O Antiphons (December 17-24) today opens toward a thrilling place in the year\u2019s seasons.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good\u00a0moment to post \u00a0Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz\u2019s \u201cO Highly Praised One\u201d (i.e., \u201cEnglish translation of \u201cMohammad\u201d) with its\u00a0playful jokes in the heart of the sacred, a contemplative prayer of praise. \u00a0 Placing it immediately before the seven \u201cO Antiphons\u201d celebrates this university\u2019s Roman Catholic roots as well as our place in Detroit where the wide world\u2019s faith traditions live together.<\/p>\n

\u201cO Antiphons\u201d begin tomorrow and end on Christmas eve. \u00a0No promises about when the next post will appear, but last year the next poem was posted on New Year\u2019s eve day.<\/p>\n

Have a blest break, alive with surprises, \u00a0grateful memories, \u00a0deep affection.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post: \u00a0O Highly Praised One!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My poems are silent about you, o highly praised one!
\nWhere I live
\nYou are exiled to impossible conversations walled up inside sound bites
\nAnd among not so funny cartoon figures that smell of ominous things
\nThere
\nDivested of your famous smile, soft clean hands, and rose-scented perfume
\nYou order your dim-witted followers
\nTo hide bombs inside the folds of an oversized turban that history does not remember you to have worn \u2026 ever<\/p>\n

History says you had curly black hair resting playfully on your shoulders
\nGentle but penetrating eyes
\nAn upright figure
\nA firm \u2013 but not haughty \u2013 voice
\nAnd a somewhat reserved \u2013 even bashful- personality
\nI was not surprised to read about your habit of sitting with your legs folded under and saying \u201cI am not a proud king.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one had bothered to tell me that you recommended kind words to be the best type of alms for Muslims to give.<\/p>\n

I never thought collections of your sayings would have funny anecdotes like when you said to this man who prayed too loud \u201cDo not hurt your throat my son, the all mighty is not deaf.\u201d
\nThen you added wisdom to laughter
\n\u201cHe lives in you \u2026 and knows how you live your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Few biographers speak of your humor
\nThey figure blood, blind anger, and other heart wrenching things go better with the war on terror
\nBut I am going to smuggle some more of your laughter into this poem anyway:
\nOne day, a dying woman asked you \u201cWould a sick old retch like me be allowed into paradise?\u201d \u201cNo\u201d you answered with a straight face \u201cyou will be young and healthy by the time you get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

We need your humor, O highly praised One!
\nWe need it now more than ever
\nTeach me how to smile
\nAs I tear the veil of despair to reach your figure obscured
\nBy that of Ben Laden and other \u201cAbu\u201ds and \u201cIbn\u201ds
\nObscured by the yellow mushroom clouds manufactured with anxiety and ignorance,
\nlayer upon layer of not knowing and not wanting to know<\/p>\n

Teach me to take in and cherish every glimmer of hope
\nThe rays of tranquility that emanate from the perfect diction of peace be upon you!
\nTeach me to be that peace<\/p>\n

Let me dream about flaunting my friendship with you
\nThe way grandma publicized the perfection of your arched eyebrows which she saw in a dream so long ago she could not remember when<\/p>\n

In her dream, you stood upon a hill far and near \u2013 and luminous with daylight
\nShe stepped close
\nAnd closer to the foot of the hill and fragrance in the air overwhelmed her senses
\nFrom that point on she remembered little
\nExcept the perfection of your bright face and arched eyebrows
\nWhich echoed in the soft tremor in her voice
\nAs she whispered under her breath:
\nPeace
\nBe
\nUpon
\nHim<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0Fatemeh Keshavarz
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fatemeh_Keshavarz<\/a>
\nA poet and scholar, she holds The\u00a0University of Maryland\u2019s Roshan Chair Persian Studies<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday, December 16 \u00a0\u2013 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cI am going to smuggle some more of your laughter into this poem\u201d Today has a feeling of wrapping things up for this semester \u2014 even though academic work remains in many parts of the university … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3289,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions\/3289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}