Even you

Even you are soft
like the petal turned askew
catching the morning light
like the dew of dawn glistening
on the breath of a new day
like the smile of a new mother
whose infant clutches her nose for security

Even you are strong
like the earth that holds skyscrapers
straight into the sky
like the ocean that cradles delicate ships
amidst its raging wrath
like the supernovas in the universe
that cause ripples in the cosmos
like the determined bud
that breaks asphalt to bloom

Even you are – simply said –
worthy, deserving, accepting
of love and nature’s boons
God’s soft pride in you
the Lord’s strong protection of you

Exclusive: An inspiring and moving account of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee Darbar in Nairobi

Barakah

In what felt like no time at all, it was five minutes to 11am. The ginan that was going on ended abruptly as the screens lit up with Hazar Imam’s motorcade rounding the corner at Darkhana.  Mawla’s green Audi slowed down at the entrance. The door opened. Breathing halted. Mawla alighted and salwats swelled in the hall. That jovial countenance filled the screen and it felt like he too was in a hurry to enter as he gestured to the Mukhi Kamadia and Mukhiani Kamadiani and swept into the foyer. The screens went blank and the heart started racing. He was here! The Lord of Light and love was but a glance away.

A Personal Reflection

By ZAFEERA KASSAM

I don’t think I can ever understand the human capacity to experience two polar opposite emotions simultaneously: indescribable happiness and also deep sadness, a profound sense of soulful quietude and also…

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Poem by Zafeera Kassam: Teri Dosti Mein…

Teri Dosti Mein… Our Best Friend is the Lord of the Worlds, King of the kings; Abundantly merciful, Endlessly generous, Extremely beautiful. Our Best Friend is the lighthouse in the dark, Beacon of hope; Ever patiently aglow, Unimaginably accepting, Here, to rid all woe. Our Best Friend is the paragon of virtue, Faultless; flawless; His […]

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/poem-by-zafeera-kassam-teri-dosti-mein/

Glorious

  
That much happiness I have not felt
settling my touch to the sparkle of gold
than that I have experienced
raising my fingers to feel
the warm radiance of your rays

Legitimacy of Intent

Often, I find myself struggling.
Poetry is an exercise in baring the soul naked,
My heart is all for it, but my ego is not.
This world is a place I shy away from,
Its infinite flaws grotesque,
Its scarred nature disheartening —
How can one stand naked amidst
the leering, the jeering, the pretentious
and fight the urge to preserve one’s dignity
when such a battle comes to pass
and everyone has picked up arms without wit
and their common sense has dropped its pants instead?
Poetry is an exercise in disrobing
all the lies we layer ourselves with
but when all is said and done
where do I go to speak my fervent words
when it feels like people are content with their silence?

Hobbies? “Collecting sunsets”

  
There’s something calming about you;

Something in your nature puts me at ease;

There’s serenity in your disposition;

Upon sight, all my chaos seems to cease. 

E E Cummings

  

Let There Be

Don’t speak your mind, they say

It’s undiplomatic, it’s not the way;

But my heart is hurting

where do I end up bleeding?

If not through my words,

how to release these emotions like birds

to ease the raw pain 

of an empathetic soul – this bane 

needs a voice, hence this choice

to speak my mind to unburden my heart 

unencumbered, let there be art. 

Poem by Zafeera Kassam: Tuje Chhodi Duje Dwaari Kyu(n) Jaave

Ismailimail

Tuje Chhodi Duje Dwaari Kyu(n) Jaave

Poem for Hazar Imam on the auspicious occasion of Imamat Day

I stare up at the brewing storm
its darkness looming over me;
thunder booming and lightning
a flash too close for comfort;
the negative charge drums
horrors louder than they are —
to distort my sense of direction,
to shake my faith with violent intimidation.
Frightened as a little lamb
I shut my eyes tight:
It feels like this moment
is the end of the world…

“Listen to what you know
instead of what you fear”
Richard Bach’s words
reverberate in my head;

And what do I know, with certainty?
I know — I know — You are here —
always here, never afar,
with me, within me, around me,
in every bearing and blessing.

You take my hand in Yours,
tugging me forward with kindness,
Your mercy an umbrella above me,
Your…

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The Cars I’ve Done

When I was little, I used to sneak in and sit on the driver’s seat and handle the steering wheel, my little hands gripping the big wheel so tight. I was always eager to drive.

Now? Not so much. But I have been behind the wheel of a Suzuki something. A wee maroon 2WD. I’ve been behind the wheel of a Lexus. Cumbersome. Did not like. I’m comfortable behind the wheel of a RAV4 and I’ve also handled a Merc 150A. But my favourite ride of all times is my current antique Merc 190E, which is literally as old as I. A year younger, perhaps. It’s chocolate on the roads, and that is saying something given the dilapidated state of affairs Nairobi’s roads are in.

It is faithful and gives no trouble like the Lexus does with its retarded battery. And well, it is black and beautiful. ’nuff said.