That Which Gives

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In times of sudden danger, most people call out

“Oh, my God.”  Why would they keep doing this if it didn’t help?

Only a fool keeps going back where nothing happens.

The whole world lives in this, a safeguarding;

Fish inside the waves; birds held in the sky

The elephant, the wolf, the lions as they hunt,

The dragon and the ant, the waiting snake,

Even the ground, the air, the water;

Every spark floating up from the fire.

All subsist, exist and are held in the Divine.

Nothing is ever alone for a single moment.

All giving comes from there.

No matter who you think you put your open hand out towards,

It is that which gives.

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~Rumi

(Translation by Coleman Barks)