My poem. Not my art.
Artist: Michael Roman
Writer: Frshta Mangal
How to Pray
A veil covers your brown hair, long
As a breath. You sit, hands flat,
On your knees, prayer rug large as your body
Beneath you, Qibla your vision.
You pray Allah Akbar
Your head down, every heart beat a monster
slipping from under the veil,
your stumbling breaths
still a promise of love.
You pray Allah Akbar
Qul huwal laahu ahad
Allah hus-samad
Lam yalid wa lam yoolad
Wa lam yakul-lahu kufuwan ahad
You pray Allah Akbar
So much ambition—to stand,
To bow, to bend, to bear,
Though any path may end
In brambles, let the fruit be sweet.
You pray Allah Akbar
Silence shoulders the night sky
Your head lowered toward Qibla,
And all the world vulnerable, a prayer,
Even the crickets chirping in the background, a prayer
You pray Allah Akbar