Many Texans are celebrating Ramadan differently this year than in the past. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Holy Month, In The Time Of Pandemic
the walls of the mosque
sing to themselves
this Ramadan
especially late in the evening,
when the remembered prayers
of tarawih echo
and the running of small feet
this year, only echoes
and memory
its is as if the tantalizing aromas
of iftaar leftovers,
waiting to be shared
still drift
through still air
but this year
fellowship and prayer
are staying home
and the tea urns are empty
perhaps it is easier,
without the distractions
of seeing old familiar faces
finding their places
the coveted prayer spots
and voices raised in greeting
Easier to practice dhikr, the meditation
in remembrance of Allah
to focus on worship
to get enough sleep, for a change
perhaps
and the net that connects all believers
still touches each one of us
sometimes it uses zoom
and one could weep from the purity of it
this Ramadan
the purity and the loneliness
