It Happens All The Time In Heaven

Spending time alone is my modus operandi, and you can usually find me out shooting with my new camera (the impressive Canon 20D (which I gave to myself shortly before Christmas) or at my computer, editing images or updating my online shop at CafePress.

But when I realised recently that I'd begun to talk out loud to myself I decided it was time to set up a blog so I could chatter to everybody. Perhaps - like the "noiseless, patient spider" in Walt Whitman's poem - a few of the filaments that I fling out into the Universe will catch hold somewhere.

Most of my spare time lately has been spent updating my shop. I've created a new section called The Third Sex, featuring designs aimed at the Rainbow People, members of the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender community. I have a particular respect for these people, many of whom have chosen to follow their hearts and natural inclinations in a society that is - at best - rigid and barely tolerant of differences and - at worst - bigoted and lacking in compassion.
(Walt Whitman, who was homosexual, wrote extensively about this.)

Part of this respect stems from the loving friendship and kindness shown to me a number of years ago by a gay friend. In fact, the first gay person I'd ever met. Bob, who died 28 years ago of what we know now to be AIDS, opened my mind and my heart.

I love poetry. And because I follow the Sufi tradition, I love the poems of Rumi and, above all, the Sufi master Hafiz, arguably the most beloved poet of Persia. He lived in the period c. 1320-1389, and was an enlightened human being. His poetry is rich in insight, understanding and love. While working on my shop's The Third Sex section last night I was reminded of one of his poems.

It Happens All The Time In Heaven

It happens all the time in heaven,
And some day

It will begin to happen
Again on earth -

That men and women who are married,
And men and men who are
Lovers,

And women and women
Who give each other
Light,

Often will get down on their knees

And while so tenderly
Holding their lover's hand,

With tears in their eyes,
Will sincerely speak, saying,

"My dear,
How can I be more loving to you;

How can I be more
Kind?"

(Translated version by Daniel Ladinsky)

And having remembered the poem, I decided to use it as a design on products in my shop.
One of these is the mug, shown at the top of this page.
(The entire section can be viewed here: The Third Sex

Further to the topic of GLBT issues: On July 20, 2005, Canada became only the fourth nation in the world to allow same-sex marriages. (The others are Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.) But the Conservative leader Stephen Harper recently campaigned on the promise that he would permit Parliament to vote on whether to change the definition of marriage back to "one man, one woman". A recent online poll was taken about the issue of same-sex marriage being re-opened, and the results were 52% Yes, 45% No, 3% Not sure.

I wonder what others think.
Comments, anyone?