Home » cho 18.2 Table of Contents » Marietta McGregor, Odour of Sanctity

Marietta McGregor

Odour of Sanctity

In the cavernous Orient Express station hall, a whirling dervish circles, twirling in meditative ecstasy to rhythmic Sufi music. His spinning conveys the movement of earth, sun, tides, and the blood flowing under our skin. He dips and sways in the half-light, head on one shoulder, eyes shut, right hand pointed to the sky, left to earth. His tall camel-hair hat is his ego’s tombstone. His ankle-length tennure—a white skirt of heavy wool melton, weights sewn into the hem—flares out in a wide circle. Together with his long-sleeved jacket it represents his ego’s shroud. But unwashed thick cloth and young male armpits make for a powerful combination. In my dim corner his devotion reaches me in waves strong as faith.

earth-bound
the rose's essence
in its thorns

About the Author

Marietta McGregor

Marietta McGregor is a former science writer from Canberra, Australia. Her haiku, haibun and haiga appear in international journals and anthologies and on Japanese television.

4 thoughts on “<strong>Marietta McGregor</strong>, Odour of Sanctity”

  1. A burst of laughter for me at the final two lines, unexpected despite the title. What makes it good is the move from serious/contemplative and educative, drawing one in, to the hard work reality endured by these devout practitioners.
    Living in Sufi-land Iran, I never sat close to the twirlers but found their movements utterly mesmerizing.
    Enjoyable haibun and loved the haiku.

    Reply
    • Hello Ingrid. Thank you so much for letting me know what you enjoyed most about the haibun. Yes, mesmerizing perfectly sums up the Sufi practitioners. I’m glad you got a laugh from it! Marietta

      Reply

Leave a Comment