Sufi Style
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Did my words please you tonight?
The joke's on you, then.
Didn't you get the joke?
Stay with me then-
Starting with the thumb,
Count the fingers on your left hand.
This is the age I was when I learned
To fool giants into slumber with
Poetry and fairest prose.
Now count the eyes in your head,
Being careful to give each one a gentle poking:
That is the number of times I've felt
Fleeting pride at a work completed.
And now, having completed those tasks,
Find your left thumb again and bend it slightly,
Curling your index close to it so that
The fingertips touch. Press them together
As hard as you like, the harder
The better:
This is the grand sum of works that shall
Be allowed to stand when I am gone.
That is the joke,
That when all my words are burned they
Will be no more than a matchhead against
A sea of flame.