Josiah

By
when i saw your face
i knew what i
had lived
this long for.
your skin
so new to the air
protected by
the inner waters
for so long;
your slumber,
your quiet breathing…
when i held you
i knew that
my purpose
is to love
and heal
and be forgiven
from so long ago
when i held
your father
but did not know

how i

mportant,
how precious,
how sacred
life
truly
is.

Linda Tauhid

6/14/18

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Ramadan Night (1439)

By

the moon of Ramadan

is waning…

soon it will be

beyond sight;

slight

like the skin

of a date stone.

it would be nice

to be in Senegal

where the sky is endless

and the earth

expansive

on a quiet night 

of Africa’s silent prayer

and to partake of

the neglected food

of daytime 

from a shared common

platter–

the hot grease of red oil

staining the eater’s fingers;

the satisfaction 

of 

each grain 

of rice,

each drop

of water,

each sip 

of

hibiscus tea.
Linda Tauhid

©6/5/18

Fasting

By

there is no food here
no water
only air;
the fruit flies
hunt for food,
they visit me
while i sleep
peeping at my nostrils,
lighting on my lips
to steal a taste
of sweetness
from the morning dates of suhoor*
it is quiet;
the energy to run
and play
has subsided amidst
the long days
that we are counting…
victorious at each success.
as the world spins
and Kilauea spews her fire
reminding us
that to live, to love, to believe
we too
must burn.

*suhoor is a transliteration of the Arabic word for the pre-fast meal of Ramadan

Linda Tauhid

6/3/18

The Bridge to Cambridge

By

walking across
the bridge to Cambridge
young and singing
a James Taylor song…
“call out my name”
walking across the
bridge to Cambridge
whether to my life or death
i did not know
whether to love or hurt
i almost knew
from all established patterns;
walking on Mass Ave.
‘cross the bridge
passing MIT
coming to a place
unaccompanied,
unsure,
alone
moving to my fate
that you
took so lightly
in
your hands:
singing, sighing, singing: “you’ve
got
a friend”!

Linda Tauhid

4/21/18