At the age of 21, on a pilgrimage to Israel, Chelan Harkin found herself sitting
alone in the same cell that some 140 years earlier had confined the founder of
the Baha'i faith. The quietude was suddenly broken by a voice she took to be the
Persian prophet's spirit saying, "Let us dance." This unexpected invitation
cracked her heart wide open and spontaneously led her to fill the resonant
chamber with joyful song. A decade later, those three words would become the
title of her second collection of mystical poetry.
Often compared to Rumi's poetry, her offerings invite readers to embrace the
fullness of their being, by "inviting the fumbling, suffering parts of our
nature and our divinity to meet for tea in the heart, to have a great laugh,
and share a big hug."
To kick-off National Poetry month in the United States, here is an in-depth
interview with Chelan Harkin.
