Echoes
The veils sunder
a letting mirror.
and her eye, a light slit made pure, seeps over the emerald sea of statues
signalling at the scalding sky.
She beholds Him and sees each towering silhouette
rooted in an appointed place,
like trunked installations
in a bare testimony. The sajda of the rose blooms
and the praise song of the birds
become echoes on a canvas.
At the golden hour,
yesteryear’s orange lipstick
smudges on the mouth of the sinking sun. the clockwise rising moon
turns to brushstrokes and reveals ayahs
That night, the dank light limned,
it tells her about the riddle of darkness, She is more than a candle that shows
the shooting lamps etched in the sky
We are told that the world is – a white stone
– maybe a lake of living water
When light beholds the light
– nothing remains a secret.
\
Mirrors
The heart is aflame.
wishes and reason subdue,
the cold embers
of duality cinder.
night rouses.
Seventy thousand veils
sunder — wine pours,
palls plummets
beneath the sunshade of moon,
whispers of longing and renunciation,
seekers in sandy
shrouds rejoice
In the mirror,
I see: I am He
whom I love, and
He whom I love is me—
dwelling in one body.
Outside our tilting gate,
clouds flex across the sky while mocking
snowflakes turn in slow dance.
Still, the flame is born again.
fractals of one love, a zikr,
a clink on the tasbih,
a song in the sema,
the ache of a waking heart.
Shirin Abedinirad, Reflective Journey, 2023. Land art, Kâhta, Adıyaman, Türkiye. Presented at the Commagene Land and River Art Biennial, the work brings together three doors salvaged from the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquake and mirrored panels reflecting the surrounding landscape. Shifting between closed doors and open reflections, the installation transforms the remnants of devastation into a meditation on loss, resilience, and renewal. Honouring what the artist calls “the indomitable spirit” of those who seek “solace and renewal through the lens of resilience and hope,” the work invites viewers to discover how even the most painful ruptures can open new ways of seeing. Artwork courtesy of featured artist Shirin Abedinirad.
