Resources for Loss

Poem by Rumi, contributed by Ali Dabaje (2021)

This poem by Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar, describes the journey that grief takes us through and how compassion and understanding are at the center of this process. At the end of it, we are rewarded with happiness and the realization that love gave us the strength to persevere. Through this journey, we learn important skills such as listening, reflection, and the ability to understand our emotions. 


Cry out all your grief, your disappointment.
Say them in Farsi, then Greek.
It does not matter whether you are from Rum or Arabia.
Praise the beauty and kindness praised
by every living being.
You hurt and have sharp desire,
Yet your presence is a healing calm.
Sun, moon, bonfire, candle, which?
Someone says your flame is about to be dowsed,
but you are not smoke or fire.
You are infinitely more alive. Say how that is.
This fluttering love will not stay much longer in my chest.
Soon it will fly like a falcon to its master, like an owl saying Huuuu.
- Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)

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