The Tulip and the Rose, a poem by Amineh Hoti

The tulip is stunning –

a marvelous beautiful flower

apparently introduced to the West from the East

with all its uniqueness.

What I learned on my visit to Istanbul –

the tulip is shaped in the form of arms

 facing the universe, this holy flower.

The tulip is a symbol of the Source, the Beloved,

look deeper with complete appreciation and submission

at this precious wondrous flower.

Spend a lifetime,

loving the essence of this complete flower.

The rose is the heart of the garden,

this essential flower.

The rose’s scent is one of the blessings of life –

the effect and the essence pervasive and ever-effective,

this wonderful flower.

The rose, I learned, is a symbol

for ‘the mercy unto all of creation, this blessed flower –

the essence, beauty, it’s effect color, and shape

our thoughts, our acts, our lives, this stunning worthy flower.

So grateful for the tulip a symbol of the deeply Beloved

So grateful for the rose, a symbol for the beloved of the Beloved.

From a humble lover of the Beloved,

theses thoughts in humility come,

elevated by the essence, the sight, the smell

of the blessed tulip and the rose.