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, from I HEARD GOD LAUGHING; trans. D. Ladinsky ~
photo 1: me. November 2016, Big Sur, CA.
photo 2: me. May 2018, Rosendale, NY.