slip-sliding away…..

1 hour and 58 minutes
Until this month may leave.

1 hour and 58 minutes
Until the hunger fades
As fast is broken
For the last time,
And collective deprivation ends
For another 11 months.

1 hour and 58 minutes
Until the devious ones return
To whisper
Into the hearts:
Temptations
Of excess, pleasure, and transgression
We wouldn’t have dreamed of partaking in
All these weeks.

1 hour and 58 minutes
Until the fatigue departs –
Early mornings
in prayer and suhoor,
And late nights
In Taraweeh and dua,
Building up
To sleep deficit
Which cannot be cleared
Until schedules shift again.

And if that moon is sighted –
The silver sliver giving joy
To the fasting,
We’ll rejoice
And forget all the discomfort,
As happiness floods our spirits,
And preparation speeds ahead
For the celebration awaiting in mere hours.

We shall eat,
Drink,
And be merry,
For just a day
(Though the Eid biscuits last much longer 😌),
As waistlines expand,
And life returns
To whatever we consider
“normal”.

The goodness we cling onto
Will vary,
As will
Our strength,
To maintain
The plans we made
For a better life after this month.

And in time,
These moments will be forgotten…
Or relegated
To just just faded memories
Of another Ramadaan lived through.

So,
Before it goes,
I take this time
To capture it all…
A literary photograph
Of the dying moments
Of the month that gave life
To so many hearts and souls.

Farewell,
O Ramadaan…
May we meet again.

---

I wrote this in almost the same spot as I sat a month ago, at almost the same time of day, on the eve of Ramadaan. That sitting yielded this poem. And now, as we await tonight’s moon sighting, it could be over.

And though it’s sad to see it go, in a way, I’m relieved, too. This has been a very different, and challenging month, for me. A stark contrast to the euphoria of a year ago, which was probably my best Ramadaan in a decade.

Still, I am thankful to have lived through this month. And I’m grateful for the benefit derived from it. It wasn’t what I expected, but therein lies a reminder of a powerful lesson from the Qur’an: “God knows, and you do not know.”

He gave me the month I needed, instead of the one I wanted. And while I can’t see the bigger picture, I know there is a greater wisdom in it all.

Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating. May Allah accept from us all.