I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.

Hafiz’s Poem 19:

The town is empty of love

Until one person

Acts beyond their self

Some thoughts:

Sometimes powerful movements start small:

• One little girl protesting outside the Swedish Parliament about the climate (Great Thunberg).
• A small group of students protesting education policies in South Africa (1976 Soweto Uprising).
• One woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus (Rosa Parks).
• A hashtag in response to the acquittal of a murderer (Black Lives Matter).
• One woman researching the dangers of pesticides for a book she was writing (Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and the beginning of The Environmental Movement of the 1960s).

We often don’t feel like our contributions matter or the fact that we are only one person cannot possibly make a difference. It simply is not true. Each choice we make to share love or kindness increases goodness in the world. The ripple effect can restore relationships, heal families, and build communities. And team up with a likeminded friend or partner? Imagine the good we can do; the help we can offer this broken world. Hafiz knew this, must have witnessed it, or was that person for someone else. That is who I want to be.

My Poem 19:

A kind word offered

may mean the world to someone

who has nothing else.

Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.