Reflections from Meknes
After being in Morocco for a few weeks, I couldn't shake the presence of religion in my thoughts. Before the trip, I didn't tend to give much thought to religion in my day-to-day life, nor do I practice it with any regularity. But it is hard to keep the idea far from my mind when Islam is so deeply ingrained in every aspect of life here. I've done some writing as I've tried to better understand the way that the culture of a religion shapes this country, and in doing so, I've been thinking about how that relates to me and my life now and back in the US.
A withered woman, weary eyed
Reflects my gaze, clouded, fatigued.
Shame heats my blood, aware
of a life and trials I'll never know-
God willing- across the Mahgrib,
so the hope echoes.
The sounds adorn an edifice,
filled with chambers of the heart
built on trust in Allah's presence,
doors I cannot part.
An ancient land belabored
by sewage rivers after rain
claims common denominator
across classes and terrains
In my country, some know their god,
but for patrimony preserved,
a devoted secularism,
my soul stays unperturbed
Towering minarets of jade,
the inescapable sight
further reminded four times each day,
a fifth on sleepless nights
We pass one another,
her pious stare is resolute,
and though she quavers as she walks,
I struggle to feel moved.