Ibn Ibrahim
Is there anything more precious than the comfort of a child
Whose innocence, untainted, runs before him meek and mild
Is there anything more dear than the essence of his cry
A cry for comfort, a cry for peace, a cry not put aside
Is there anything more gentle than my dear, sweet, little boy
Whose heart is so flamboyant, who fills me with such joy
Is there anything on earth that I would rather love
Is there anything in hell, in the heavens up above
That could withhold the tenderness that I carry just for him
That could quell the flaming force of me that protects him from within
From within the fortressed walls of my being and my heart
From behind the heavy doors that for him, there is no lock
For I am his and he is mine
As only mom and son can be
He is the one who floats upon the rolling seas of me
He is the one who lives within the waters of our home
He is the one whose love is something that I have never known
And so I praise Allah, on High, for blessing me with him
And pray that all the lessons of mothering can begin
Begin to teach me how to act and how to think and how to pray
So that I will not be blamed but rather blessed on Judgment Day
My Sister
My sister is a confidant
My sister is a friend
My sister is the one I trust
To trust me till the end
My sister is a mirror
Who reflects my every flaw
And still she doesn’t judge me
And loves me even more
My sister is a looking glass
I see her beauty there
And yet there is no envy
There is no jealous glare
My sister is a muse
She inspires me to praise
My sister is a guide
She chastens all my ways
My sister is a jewel
A rare and precious stone
That I wear around my neck so that I never walk alone
My Broken Heart
My heart can heal
Lord, please heal it
It seems like everyone can feel it
Even when I do my best to conceal it
Show me what to do, Lord,
If I can brand my prayer into this paper
If I can carve it into creation with a poem
Make it so
Hearken unto my voice
My words
And heal my heart
Guide me aright into truth
Righteousness
Faith
Love
Patience
Kindness
Justice
Purity
Lawfulness
Compassion
Grace
Beauty
Take the ugliness away from me
Out of me
And make me Yours
Your servant
Your Muslim
Your faithful devotee
Devoted in mastery
Amin
Are My Tears My Own
Sister,
I never heard the beauty of your voice as I hear it now
As I witness the prayers, songs, poems, stories-
of your testimonies
the power of experience and longing woven together in one expression
And now I see the evolution from girlhood to womanhood
in a clearer, crisper knowing of God’s mastery and command in ordaining
our existence
and although our existence evolved around
Man
I am Womanist in my belief
Ishshah
aware of God’s purpose for me
rejoicing in being needed because I am designed to be a help-meet
enjoying the feminine softness and gentle parts of me
as we live and we learn
as we see and we grow
as we do life constantly
moving and accommodating
waiting and appreciating
nurturing
weathering life’s storms – becoming weathered by life’s storms
witnessing the revelation of Womanhood
May I love you
Husband-
may I love you-
will you let me
will God let me
love you?
I want to
Do you want me to?
May I-
Love you?
Things aren’t like they used to be
Can we heal?
God sees
God knows
Everything we’ve been through
Are we torturing each other by holding on?
Can we still keep holding on?
I hope I can
I hope we can
You say we can
I pray we can
You are worth it
Beloved
You are worth it
I don’t know if I am
But I want to be
With every prayer I pray to be
Worthy with all sincerity – worthy of your love
And God’s mercy
I didn’t know how to love you
And you got the worst of me
My foolishness and immaturity
Forgive me
For not appreciating your husbandry
For not knowing how to treat you tenderly
Receive me
And I will give my best to you
As I give my best to God
Know
That with every breath I take
And every prayer I make
I love you
cherish you
appreciate you
thank you
for being a part of my life
