“In the middle of the night
when you need God most
may the sky unfold and pull you closer

May the ache of uncertainty drift away
and the ocean within your chest, spill from your eyes
For wherever there is darkness
there is light and wherever there is light
there are angels waiting patiently to hold your hand”

from Shukr bil-Lisan [Thankfulness of the Tongue]

– Rashida James-Saadiya

in A KALEIDOSCOPE OF STORIES
Muslim Voices in Contemporary Poetry
Coming soon from Lote Tree Press

Image: from the series Refelection by Pharoah Egbuna