Feel Pain to Know Pain

...And beneath the sky's oppressive dome
Wounds scar you, you draw nearer to your home;
Don't flinch from pain or search here for its cure.
Uncauterized your wounds must bleed; endure!

~Farid-Ud Din Attar
The Conference of the Birds

As i was taught suffering is blessing,
realistically, it was too hard believing
As i feel the pain, and see the wound,
i realise how much i've been through.
It's a trophy for all the strife
to remind me how i survived.

A trophy not for triumph per se
but a lesson that must be relayed
After the pain, so where's the blessing?
Is it just the discovery of my wound and crying?
Retribution? Revenge?Forgiveness?
Its enough to reflect that Allah remembers
Recall His love note for all of us
in verse two-eight-six of the female ox
He promises us, a balanced strengths and tests
to Him, are we to doubt and detest ?

What we learn is the colours
of pain, which differs
not only black, not only white
as a coin, that has two sides
Despite the form, we need to brave
the value pain brings for us as slaves
the pain of Joseph, Jonah and the rest
are too huge to compare to us brats

Allah... guide me well in my journey of pain and suffering.
Guide me well in my LACK of pain and suffering...
as tests are more rigourous
in those forms that are less obvious

Allah.. please help.

~ humaira
Pale Reflection of Pain
12th June 2007