Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland
POEMS
Ralph Dranow
What happens when a 13th-century Sufi poet shows up at an Oakland bakery?
Ralph Dranow's Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland answers with poems that find the sacred tucked into the everyday—in a driving instructor's patient smile, an emergency room nurse's steady hands, two oak trees standing witness to time. With tenderness and sly humor, Dranow transforms the mundane into the miraculous: grocery lines become meditations, a new bath mat sings lullabies, political figures stumble toward redemption. These are poems of deep noticing, written by someone who has learned that slowing down isn't resignation—it's revolution. A balm for troubled times and hungry hearts.
“In his poem, ‘Some Tips for Slowing Down,’ Ralph Dranow concludes, ‘Don’t keep looking at your watch/as if linear time/will save your life.’ In these dark political times, reading Dranow’s new book of poems, Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland, may save your life with its emphasis on moments of love, empathy, and fascination with ordinary people who each contain a tiny universe, and his humorous poems like ‘The New Pandemic,’ a virus that causes people to love each other or ‘Body Workers Without Borders’ who give free massages to everyone. Even macho Hemingway gets a hug in ‘Ernest Hemingway Attends a 12-Step Group.’ Dranow’s poems will help you feel happy once again and teach you how to appreciate each moment, whether shopping, eating, or snuggling with a loved one, especially if it’s your cat!”
— Judy Wells, author, Night at the Musée d’Orsay:Poems of Paris & Other Great European Cities and Dear Phebe: The Dickinson Sisters Go West
“From encounters in the classroom or in the grocery store to playful poems about political figures or his cat, Ralph Dranow’s new book, Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland is a delight. A close observer of the world around him as well as of his own life, Dranow brings both humor and tenderness to everyday experiences and writes with clear-eyed honesty about his wishes, mistakes, dreams, and shortcomings. Some poems made me laugh, others made me want to go walk in the woods, while others brought forward childhood experiences that made me want to cry. The poems in Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland immerse the reader in a spirit of gentleness. ‘…there’s more to life/ than laundry and worrying,’ writes Dranow in ‘The Camellia Tree in Front of My House.’ Read Dranow’s Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland and discover a balm for the heart.”
— Anna Citrino, author, Stories We Didn’t Tell
“In Ralph Dranow’s latest book of poems, Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland, the author walks us through heartwarming relatable reflections: compassionate encounters with street people, the disenfranchised, overlooked service people, as well as loved ones. Slowing us down to surprising kindnesses and insights often bypassed in the sped-up world, his often deeply personal sketches are voiced with humor, humility, and wisdom that has grown with the grace of aging.”
—Una Kobrin, author, Words Between Darkness and Light
Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland
Jelaluddin Rumi is signing copies
of his new book, Much Love,
in front of Arizmendi bakery
on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland.
Several hundred of his fans
snake around the block,
waiting patiently in the summer heat
for the privilege of his presence.
He’s dressed modestly in faded blue jeans,
a T-shirt proclaiming: “Much Love,”
and old running shoes.
A female pilgrim finally reaches Mecca,
standing before the bearded poet,
whose penetrating but kind gaze searches her face,
tunnels into her heart.
“Remember, you are a shard of God.
Don’t go back to sleep,” he tells her.
A small tremor rocks her body,
happiness pouring through her like warm honey.
Combing Lucinda Again
I’m combing my cat, Lucinda, once again
after a long hiatus.
She nestles in my lap, purring,
as I slowly draw the comb
through the soft thicket
of her black, orange, and white fur,
as if bowing a stringed instrument.
She butts her head against the table,
claiming possession,
then settles down again,
avocado eyes fixing me
with a glittering, backward gaze,
disarming in its nakedness,
a silent language needing no translation,
an emerald chord connecting us.
Lucinda Speaks
I’m bored. Play with me. I want to sit on your lap. I’m going to jump up now, but I’ve got to time it just right. Here goes. Perfect. OK, now I’m going to stretch out and get comfortable. Don’t comb me too hard. Easy does it. That feels OK but just a little slower. Can you stroke me underneath my chin? Ah! Ecstasy! I love that. Now do my back. Go slow. That’s good. You’re getting better at it. All right, that’s enough. Now I’m going to knead your sweater. I love nice fluffy sweaters to play with. Ah, this is such great exercise! I’m getting kind of tired. I need a nap. That kneading was a lot of work. Thanks for letting me hang out on your lap. You have such a nice big lap. You’re my favorite person to sit on. OK, I’m getting sleepy. See you later.
RALPH DRANOW
is an award-winning, widely published contemporary poet with a lifelong fascination about people's life stories. He is also a poetry teacher, oral historian, and editor. He lives in Oakland, California.
His mission is to express the poetry and beauty of everyday life through writing, and help others who want to write poetry do so as well.
Ready for More?
Sixty-four more poems of this nature await you.
Some Tips for Slowing Down
Waking up in the morning,
tear up your mental to-do list
and give thanks for the breath
whispering through your body
for another day,
like a secret friend.
Let your mind become a still lake.
Kiss your husband or wife
with lingering lips.
Stroke your cat with unhurried hands.
Savor your oatmeal as if each spoonful
is a mystical experience.
Get off the computer merry-go-round
and go for a walk.
Sing duets with the birds,
flirt with the flowers,
bow down to the trees,
thank your legs for all their years
of faithful service.
And don’t keep looking at your watch,
as if linear time
will save your life.
ORDER NOW
$17.95 USD PRINT / $10.99 E-BOOK
Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland: Poems by Ralph Dranow
is part of the “Poetry of Ordinary Life” series, which also includes:
A New Life: Poems, by Ralph Dranow
At Work on the Garments of Refuge — Poems by Ralph Dranow and Daniel Marlin
Browse the complete
"Books to Bring You Home to Yourself" collection
