April is Poetry Month!
Visit Citizen Teacher each day in April to find an original poem–along with photos, book suggestions, and links to other poetry-related content.
NOTE: With the conclusion of National Poetry Month, Citizen Teacher will be on hiatus for the next few months to work on other projects. Thanks for reading. Be well, friend.
A Tradition of Ecstasy
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,
Pakistani-born,
South Asia's
most popular singer.
Voice that coils
upward like a snake,
raising listeners
to spiritual ecstasy.
Master of Qawwali,
mystical Sufi music,
which means
utterance or saying.
Sufies express their devotion
to Allah
using sex and drunkenness
as key metaphors.
When Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
sings qawwali,
his voice,
accompanied by tabla drummers
and harmonium players,
has a wavering,
orgasmic quality--
drives listeners wild,
causing them to shower him
with money
and dance in a manner
unacceptable to ayatollahs.
Sufi music is a kind of prayer.
Sufis believe that
no word uttered
is ever lost.
The sound
reverberates
into the cosmos ifnitely,
according to the spirit
put into it.
Music and spirit
are inextricably intertwined.
Where does music come from?
Where does the dance come from?
From that natural
and spiritual
life within.
It lightens
all the burdens,
makes life smooth.
"My message
is the message of Humanity:
love and peace.
The goal is brotherhood
without hatred,
without concern
for race, religion, or color.
All I want
is to give
more happiness
to people.
The music is always with me."
A found poem. Original text: "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: A Tradition of Ecstasy," Inside the Music, by Dimitri Ehrlich
lisa eddy (she/her) is a writer, researcher, youth advocate,
environmental educator, and musician. Email: lisagay.eddy1@gmail.com
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