How does it feel to be a heart? — Hafiz

My friend gave me a book last year for my birthday (it will be my birthday again in 3 days. yikes!) and I had it on my bookshelf here in LA. She pulled it out last night while we were cooking dinner and read this poem to me. How had I not noticed the title of this before?! I had read it a few times through already.

Sometimes it is hard for me to articulate what it means to be a heart. So I’ll leave it to this beautiful poet to give us more insight into what I am striving for.

Found in “I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy
“

Once a young woman asked me,

“How does it feel to be a man?”
And I replied,

“My dear,
I am not so sure.”

Then she said,
“Well, aren’t you a man?”

And this time I replied,

“I view gender
As a beautiful animal
That people often take for a walk on a leash
And might enter in some odd contest
To try to win strange prizes.

My dear,
A better question for Hafiz
Would have been,

‘How does it feel to be a heart?’

For all I know is Love,
And I find my heart Infinite
And Everywhere!”

-Hafiz, How Does It Feel To Be A Heart?