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Shahriar Shahriari |
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Poems - On God & Religion - Group 4
On modern metaphors of the Divine
I went to the bank to withdraw some cash from my account,
"I'm sorry Sir," said the teller, "you're withdrawn by some amount."
I said, "but I've been banking here for ten years
My record is impeccable, if anybody cares!"
The teller said, "But Sir, this is what the computer shows;
That you've been with us for ten years, the manager knows.
At the moment I cannot advance you any more cash
If I do, I'll make the computer crash.
What you now need to do with your account is credit,
Then the computer will allow you to debit."On my way home I was thinking is this theme
Universal, are credit and debit a cosmic scheme?
Do we each have an account in the cosmic bank?
Who deposits, who the tellers, what their rank?
When I die, my bank account is left behind;
In what account can my soul its karma find?
Is there a cosmic computer that is keeping track
Of our good and evil, and what we lack?
What would cosmic tellers feel when they tell
A customer, "you're overdrawn, go to hell!"
No matter how many times we have lived before,
Our account in the same bank was kept pure,
The manager knows us even by first name;
Computer keeps our account, all the same.Universal justice, I am not afraid,
I fear reducing it to cosmic trade.
What about divine grace, what of love?
Generous is, if there is a god above.
Isn't it better for this cosmic bank
Do away with its money, file and rank,
Everything we have gathered simply get,
At the same time forgive all our debt?© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
June 12, 1997
The Internet has made cyberspace
Though it is nowhere, in no place;
Cyberspace is made of information
Non-localized, from every nation.
I once created a web page
And felt like a powerful sage,
A magician doing magic tricks
Pictures of flowers, rocks and sticks
Creating an elaborate illusion
In a new world of confusion
With its own rules, orderly, clear
Though chaotic they appear.Then, in heavens, I saw a god
Sitting at his desk, saying aloud
"I want to create something new
Something elaborate, useful, true.
Just give me six days or a week
Then at my new world take a peek."
Thus god started in the no-place
To create a new kind of space,
Put much information into use
With consciousness his world infuse;
Gave his new world life and appeal
Every creature for life had zeal,
God made flowers, sticks and rocks
God created time and clocks.
Though it seemed there was chaos
God's operating law was the boss.
In this space of elaborate orderly confusion
Cyberspace is the dream within the illusion.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
June 16, 1997
I was sitting in front of my computer playing a game
Though I played it a lot, I still cannot remember its name.
Every time I lost, I felt it was a shame, with only myself to blame,
Then I'd try again and again, until victory I'd claim;
I'd try again for mastery, until the game I'd tame
I needed no other reason, money, valor, nor fame.I was thinking about the concept of reincarnation,
Was it real or merely a human mental creation?
Could it be that we are reborn until we master the game of life?
Again and again play this game, until we master both joy and strife?/p>Then I gave my attention to the much bigger concept of Creation
Could it be that God is sitting at his computer work station
Creating a universe on his screen and playing it to either its self-destruction
Or master this spatial-temporal game until it reaches perfection?
And try again and again until God masters the nature of evolution,
Mastery God's only reason, not learning, growth, nor dissolution.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
June 24, 1997
A friend once asked me, which way is true North
In a certain direction I brought my finger forth;
To examine the truth of my informal report
To the magnetic power of a compass we resort,
I was out some degrees in my estimation
Yet pointed towards North with approximation;
With sense of direction each of us can allot
If not which way North is, at least which way is not.And with our conscience, compass, our sense of Good Mind
We can at least resolve to approximately Truth find;
If we can't point to Truth, approximate or absolute
At least with our mind's compass, untruth we can refute.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
July 12, 1997
After many many tries
Through my laughter and my cries
I broke through the world of lies;
Duality, the rope that ties.A glimpse of oneness my prize,
Eternal, infinite in size,
Omnipotent, infinitely wise
Appearing in disguise.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
July 16, 1997
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