My first impression of seeing the photograph of Elias Ahmed
on the back cover of Absolute Intention
was that he is a handsome man with a penetrating stare, seeming to me to be
trying to look “through the photograph” into the soul of the reader. This became more obvious and self evident throughout
his writing.
In Elias Ahmed’s collection of poetry, each topic is
honestly revealed as particular attention is paid to “setting the scene” in the
reader’s mind for what will follow. From
his introductory comments about who he is, where he came from, and why he wrote
this book, he continued on scores of topics from his experiences, his faith,
his upbringing and cultural influences. His faith is irrevocable in Almighty God as he subscribes to the
character traits of love and forgiveness, honesty, education and the pursuit of
knowledge. He tells of how to use
integrity and faith as a compass in life, and to appreciate each day as it is a
“present” to be enjoyed and savored.
Elias Ahmed categorizes his introductions and poems into
innately fundamental human personality traits. The obvious ones such as love, lies, pride, friends and humility are
then embellished with surprisingly novel topics such as Princess Diana, Mother
Teresa, Princess Saima, and one I thought rather gospel in formation titled, Mama Said So. Reading these poems it was necessary to “slow
down” and take the time to absorb the feeling behind the words. In a way Elias Ahmed is coy and artistic with
his creative license and enjoys the time he spent writing the words knowing
they would be read by a variety of individuals of whom he does not know.
One lesson
learned stems from Native American wisdom of a Cherokee teaching his grandson
about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between
two wolves. One is evil – he is anger,
envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love,
hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion and faith. The same fight is
going on inside you – and inside every other person too.”The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replies, “The one
you feed.”
Although the
above excerpt expresses a wisdom not of Ahmed’s origin, the concept of feeding
the good in yourself, nurturing your faith and providing an optimistic outlook
on life will result in having the fundamental respect for yourself and thus be
conveyed to all you meet is in fact his own belief.
This book is
a personal portrait of the author and expresses wholesome and sustainable
values. The cover art of a field of
wildflowers which sets a tranquil frame of mind in the reader, along with the
pink clouds and rainbow signifying a nurturing earth, as that is the Absolute Intention of the poetry of
Elias Ahmed.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
