the meager offerings of reality and the splendor of dreams.

expecto patronum

whose parenthesis are you?

a citadel of light amid vast darkness.

little kingdoms.

muslims: so legalistic we dont get married, we sign contracts :P.

the angel of death comes in sweeps.

carrying on under paled hopes.

many things to be done.  not much to be said.

fist bumped naomi the route 38 bus driver cuz she deals with stalkers like a pro.

somedays nothing can be explained better except by silence.

promises like diamonds through the fire.

grass with tears grow.

not very good at goodbyes.

beaten and in preparation for further misery.

a romantic landscape that looks more like a battlefield.

put down your jewels and pray.

a hijabi cyrano with a mastery of fixing other peoples relationships against her will and amid general apathy of all things romantic.

seas and skies.

depression and neglect.

loss of the tupi and rise of the hijab

ensnared by dreams that wont let go

while our blood runs warm

snatch victory from defeat.

we spend so much time on outsourced that the women's menstrual cycles have fallen in sync.

the film industry is suffering with spikes of glory.  sometimes the suffering and glory happen in the same day.

When a demon loses his immortality to a banshee's curse, he must seek out a fairy sanctioned human sacrifice to get it back.  Unfortunately for him, Angelica Fairweather-Mohammadmajidpurismailzadeh is the human.

Doomans.

hurled from the sky like a falling star.

a poisoned day

substance of a day.

dictator douchebags.

"separation mutes her hope"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIo6lyP9tTE&feature=related

a desolate reality and a fantastical imagination.

Emotion, her greatest talent is swaying the intellect.

so painfully obvious and yet so cruelly impossible.

an elegant wit.

Thanksgiving: a meal that could not prevent a genocide.

"You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine. " - Yvaine from Stardust

that is some damn good writing.

Why, when a magical creature is before you, do you choose to polish stones?

dreams deferred.

until blood no longer runs warm.

apathy is as destructive as extremism.

captive to a story until it is told or, worse, lived.

rain come for me

cross the line.

hope for me, as i've worn that muscle out.

does the child need the lullaby, or do you?

trapped between dunya and akhira

a flower plucked

is dying

give it water

heaven as wish fulfillment

wish fulfillment through film

film as taste of heaven

happiness too late.

happiness too soon.

talking to mothers and aunties: not conducive to mental health.

I have never met a man, who I couldn't fire, who wasn't a flake.

to oppress your own soul.

clinging to endangered memories like carrying water in one's palms across a field.

acts of futility.

the work of solitary angels.

inhibited comprehension because of lost focus in the moment.

writing by cellphone light.

a conversation like wildflowers.

the first sight of blood in a deadly battle.

do not dismiss the loonies.

the destruction of an idyllic moment.

childhood toys give way to war machines.

the reunion of scattered friendships for a worthy cause.

wishes

like sitting in a field of wildflowers.

like watching sapphire glow.

like a drink of zamzam water.

fields of epic nothingness.

stage to stage in this life and the next.

whether in joy or misery life will pass.

finally free.

vengeance imprisons the seeker of vengeance.

there is no map for this.  no precedent.

one must be careful with where one places their jujube dolls.

there are stories we write and there are stories that write us.

sometimes i feel like a restless ghost haunting living creatures with my unfinished goals.

the great thing about outsourced is that old indian aunties laugh at your yo mama jokes.

peace for war machines.

By Steven Parris Ward

www.poemsofspward.com

boldy dressed in green.

only to be blown away like leaves in the wind.

names carved in stone

can be bombed and forgotten all the same.

i suspect republicans are the more carnivorous omnivores.

tranquility without catharsis - possible.

I want pecan pie and a wellesley winter.

there are people who exclaim "wow that really does happen!" and then there are people who know there's a shit ton of work to do.

convergence and fruition.

redwoods: the first skyscrapers.

"he is at once gentle and fearless

and when he says everything will be alright

i believe him"

in this way, it is quite easy to disappear into nothingness

i once went to shakespeare's house in stratford upon avon to rant in his guestbook about how he gave me unrealistic expectations of love.

standing still in clear water.

i ate nothing today.

"Palestinian Revolution's relationship with the rising Third World."

not a fan of elitist douchebags.

can't be bothered to wear a suit or say what is not believed.

big trees and clear water.

no one warns us about how hard it is to wait.

boots made in tunis, a skirt made in england and a soul made in heaven.

some fool stole her heart and hasn't given it back.

children forever.

the spell is broken.

Also, blew bubbles over the 210 fwy and hoped there wasn't a ticket for that.

I plucked two roses from a bush and buried them in separate graves.

sometimes you have to ask yourself, what would Gandalf do?

a gradual transition into light.

private prayers and public consequences.

crystal mornings and golden afternoons.

working without inspiration is like pulling teeth without novacaine. 

rain makes you do dumb things like hope for the impossible.

sign that you're on the privileged side of an issue: thinking someone out there will resolve it so obviously it can wait.

thai iced tea and an endless wedding to edit.

she painted her nails and paid the bills.

I'm better at speaking jaded American teen than desi aunty.

When did weddings replace birthday parties as social events of the season?

to divide and destroy 

or to unite and heal

لاَ غالِبَ اِلاّ الله

a final dynasty.

human ambition and divine decree.

it's kind of really annoying

how long guys take to figure things out

while our eggs shrivel

hahaha god, don't i know it

nothing more entertaining than watching two dumb kids fall in love against their better judgment.

I suspect that dhikr tempers murphy’s law.

A terrible conversation is like burning art.

Sitting on ladders in long black dresses.

people who don't know their strength can't take responsibility for their faults.

pure hope

souls against the wind.

beauty held hostage only turns to poison.

poetry overload

microwaves are not mommies.

hope against hope

damnit jane austen and colin firth for giving women unrealistic expectations on love!  why is there not a fatwa against them already.

an otherworldly charm.

feeling a little schizophrenic until it's written

the birds flew away for the winter and never came back

lovers reunited only in death.

the miserable ironies of a life of principle.

validation before death

the blue guardian

she plays a wooden flute

carved from a fallen tree 

in her former garden

daydreams and delusions

hopes that vanish too soon

In Sir Richard F. Burton's translation of The Nights, Shahrazad was described in this way:

"[Shahrazad] had perused the books, annals and legends of preceding Kings, and the stories, examples and instances of by gone men and things; indeed it was said that she had collected a thousand books of histories relating to antique races and departed rulers. She had perused the works of the poets and knew them by heart; she had studied philosophy and the sciences, arts and accomplishments; and she was pleasant and polite, wise and witty, well read and well bred."

babies that swim in autumn leaves

clinging to things that are for now only dreams

are those raindrops or teardrops

from Rafah to Ramallah

we hear your cry

as coherent as postmodern art

elegance is dead

cute swimmers on swim team

cute surfers on beach

sexy stripper types at a bar

very attractive party goers

hot hot college girls

super hot females

why the hell are all the female background characters that are called for on shows sex objects?

when you see a sunrise with strangers, you're not strangers anymore.  you've all witnessed something spectacular.

the rebirth of hope after much despair.

things that change us

hair has overgrown the clips on my head at a remarkable rate.

can't heal them

why must people make deep personal revelations to you at the most inconvenient moments?

we looked up at the dome of stars above us and I huffed, "How could they not have known the earth is round?"

we were sleeping in the car like a litter of kittens.

10 year anniversary of being hijabi is coming up.  A lot to think about.  A lot has happened in a decade.  I'm not the same person anymore, I know that.  

how people see you over time.

how people don't ever feel like they "know" you until they see you without the scarf. the effect of being hooded. (combined with my reclusiveness).  i don't think iram pb has ever seen my hair.

the unexpected assalamu alaikums on the street, like that from guy in military uniform (a muslim, or friendly from returned duty?)

love and the complications (or protections of) scarf signals.

'blank stares at blank pages'

pre-fajr tech scout, baby.

not as miserable as i should be.

watchers of the rise and fall of civilizations

a loss of slippers in the sand

at Ralph's, trojan condoms are opposite baby bottles in the same aisle.

voices that make you dream.

Macadi Nahas.  Beautiful voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QafWNFaX_Pg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC7ejlLrOjs

throwing stones at tyrants.

I have discovered that republicans, too, watch romantic comedies.  

but they laugh at the cheesiest cliches and I don't think we can discuss a film on any intelligent level.  ever.

but we shall emphasize the positives and restore faith in the possibility of a unified America.

fact: one cannot buy electromagnetic field deflectors on ebay.

movies are just elaborate trailers for books.

don't study history.  it will make you more impatient with the present.

look again, your swords are now roses!

if you don't know how to break dance, you're not muslim.  my takfiri statement of the day.

followed by its corollary, if you can't rap...

Thanksgiving: a meal that couldn't prevent a genocide.

I wonder what Andrew Jackson's Thanksgiving was like before he expelled the natives.

dhikr while running barefoot in the rain?  priceless.

now let's just hope I don't get tetanus.

epitaph on tombstone: "was a fool."

few call, and even fewer are sincere.

against the wind

swords and roses.

Structure of Surah Takwir (81), "The Folding Up"

When Creation ends

When Truth is unveiled

-Daughters 

-Scrolls

-Heavens

-The Fire

-The Garden

Souls will know what they send forward

So Creation is called to witness at present

-The planets

-the Night

-the Dawn

The Recitation is from an Honorable Messenger

-granted power from the Throne

-with authority and trust

-he knows people's doubts

-and doesn't profess to know more than the specific message

A Final Heartfelt Plea

-Stay and listen

-It is a message with weight sent to all the worlds

-to profit the listener who wants to listen

-and is blessed to listen by the Cherisher of the Worlds

Structure of Surah Infitar (82), "The Cleaving Asunder"

Announcing creation as finite

-the sky

-the stars (or planets)

-the oceans

-the graves

Announcing the infinite

-what each soul sends forward and keeps back

A Call to Reality

-Man's seduction with the world away from his Creator

-who created with loving care with a "just bias"

-but we reject him

-even though there are angels appointed to watch over us

The Final Sorting and Infinite Destiny

-the righteous in bliss/wicked in fire

-the powerlessness on the Day of Judgement when our free will is over and God's command is visible

I've never waited on the world to change, Mr. Mayer.

can't absorb that kind of darkness

gentle until fierce.

Guys date "interesting" but they marry "food", "sex" and maybe "social status".

"go on and write your lament"

we live in a time when a woman can accomplish things without the risk of getting hung or burned at the stake.  but in muslim countries she may still get stoned.

religions by ice cream flavors:

islam -> vanilla

christianity -> mint chocolate chip

judaism -> macadamia nut

hinduism -> mango sorbet topped with shredded coconut

sikhism -> french vanilla with mango nuggets

flight without wings

hope has names.

Marian's arrow.

made a promise to Jane Austen.

frostkiller

majestic and lush

a victorian birdcage.

chasing babies

natives and conquerors.

the threshold of relevance.

ten thousand invisible boundaries

an uneasy route to transformation.

need a lush winter rain

Thanksgiving without genocide.

please leave the light on

walked through the park barefoot and hoping I didn't get tetanus.

like coming across a waterfall on a fast day.

free flowing water

other people's sakina

car rides home drenched in streetlights and headlights and rain

nourished by radio pop and job security

the roses are still dead.

beard maintenance.

so much and yet never enough

when others sleep

lost like a coin in the desert sands

we wear our crowns in the dirt

comfort on the journey

people in love with an illusion are delusional

not so young, still angry, and even smarter.

i need a good book, clear air and an absence of electromagnetic fields for a week.

people invested in the status quo are not going to thank you for effecting change.

mortal but not useless

a spirited truth-teller

"with a new world comes new freedoms"

cloak and scepter

fervently we fade away

a tremor in the soul

there is lipstick on my hijab.

All at once or not at all.

there's a woman in the mirror.

the bride is in the garden

endless night, when is your dawn

to remember other people's memories

fireworks and floods.

many little steps to the tower top.

radiance without end

old hope

verbal bullets

for someone who is going to be on national television regularly, i don't even own a tv.

cold tea and dead flowers.

you pull my heartstrings so

kitties swoon for a glimpse of you

"i find your friends list dizzying not because of the number of ppl but because of the wholly unpronouncable names"

many worn calendars

need better water

Muslim women: doing more with less and better.

many open roads

and untraveled seas

wendy the storyteller

or peter the eternal child

to know the beating of a heart

skype is not a solution

to the refugee problem

friends with children and homes

in cities transformed overnight

while I reach for impossibilities

re-learning gratefulness

I don't understand an atheism that wants to lock a person's soul in a dungeon and throw away the key.  How does one lead a full life without a soul?  Without evening acknowledging that one exists?

some people people watch at cafes

I soul gaze in cathedrals

LA is the first place I've met children without an inner world.

tropical blood

and the smell of rain

the doors are closed

but the windows are open

many blessed nights

stars on the horizon

the dome is real

dreams sink

in the blue blue sea

old scars

new skin

the mirror of ramadan

hope is sweet

souls travel

the table grew fruit.

the heat of the earth dissipates as cool desert night descends

loud illogical people.

cars on the freeway are like a school of fish, and the police car that passes by is like a shark that had its meal and it wasn't you.

a graveyard where flowers grow.

too many doorsteps.  not one of them home.

I've come to realize that witches in fairytales are just misunderstood single businesswomen.

the one who holds and is not held.

it doesn't matter if you're polite if your logic is wrong.

It is the curious case of the Muslim world to absorb and elevate its conquerors.

if the doctor is ill, the patient can't heal.

scarves can only shroud so many tears.

the dead are talking.
and they believe in justice.

She's not one to let her eggs shrivel.

addicted to truth.

the fate of boiling water is to evaporate.

a fiery lock.

nothing to look forward to except grandkids and dying.

bleeding ink.

Why do parents make themselves impossible to love?

some people, when you speak to them, you feel poisoned. like a drop of freshwater in the sea.

food tastes so much better after you've fasted.

sometimes experience is outweighed by a vivid imagination and scandalous friends.

When you direct an actor, you summon truth.

I sleep by a precarious stack of books.

the best part about being Muslim is being entertained by drunk people.

Send your Sorrow to God
Give your Joy to Man.

how does one defeat the fiery beast that is bad timing.

If I leave this room I'd just be pacing in a bigger cage.

bloom then wither
then bloom

no vacancy.

time proves the finite capacity of the heart.

lose the glasses
enjoy the blur

hijab beads reflect sunshine
showering pinpricks of light
across the room
like little faeries

daylight don't leave me.

singing with hangers.

Midnight

Calls for trunk top dining and dancing in parking lots.

walked out the door but pulled back to the table.
delivered words that demanded birthright on paper.

some people, you thirst for their presence after you meet them. and some people will erode your soul with every conversation.

some people in the dark reach for the warmth of a lover. i reach for a pen.

too much energy in wanting.
not enough attention to giving.

solitude takes a toll.

the shoot's not hardcore unless you lose an earring and shatter a bangle.

on ladies who pass their maidenhood in the shadows.

a cursed muse.

soda and sundance.

why are the wise so impractical?

The Lady who Crosses the River
and Saves you from Treacherous Waters

trapped in internal infinity.

I'm better at calming other people's inner storms.

I'm wary of self discovery at the cost of neglected relationships.

freedom isn't free.

I'm a casualty on my own quest.

what loves innocence, crushes innocence.

Silence is better than sorrow.

truth is always hidden, as the struggle to unearth it solidifies the sanctity of the discovery.

Invading personal space.

Diamonds in the house of Two Devils.

The Storm subsides and the Sun comes out.

NoMecca4ULady!

It is Possible

To become dehydrated from crying.

The Headline of Yahoo News in 2050

"Muslim woman discovers cure for cancer. In other news, Muslim men discover Muslim women do things."

I think the hardest thing for Muslims to do is stop fearing "how they see us" and start asking "who am I?". Only then can anything such as an honest "Muslim Cinema" exist - when individuals start critically looking at their own life stories and personal journeys, should they really attempt film. Cinema may have spectacle, but at its heart, it is an examination of human experience. Any attempt to sugar coat it or use it to project an idealized version of events to portray the best of a people to compensate for negative media attention will only read false.

even if you're not lovers, you're still contemporaries. and that's hot.

the phone rang. I thought, 'that's either her calling to tell me her camera's broken, or her brother has passed away.' I let it go to voicemail because I had too many tasks to finish.

just when you've pulled all your hair out from organized religion, there's always that higher-than-thou idiot who comes along and asks if you're hot in that scarf. so I eat my toast with headphones on among humans: most people are ignorant as shit, organized or not.

the Trouble with Ruthless Romantics.

battles to create are as vicious as battles to destroy.

I'm password protected.

i can and will survive the pit of darkness that is the next two weeks.

the cleaner and i
groove to the same song
cubicles apart
'gracias' and Jay Z
our epic bond.

in the fog of depression

decisions are hard to reach
answers amorphous
float in the gray
until the spark
of your voice
burns the surface
of my mind

rain speckled lenses.

tonight I'm wondering
which of my traits
will win

the battle for major life decisions.

ghosts of Hiroshima.

i want a more noble beginning
to our renaissance.

don't let someone hold your heart
if they think it's a basketball.

men who believe in something die martyrs.
women who believe in something die single.

Calories and Cavities.

Cairo Book Fairy.

let the candles flicker
until they fade

when you sing, suddenly
they think you can speak.

fingers
against the sheets
against the light

warmth and shadows
play at night

nursing neuroses.

I make friends in strange places.

"Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds. (Surah Al-An'am, verse 162, Yusuf Ali translation.)

the forest

is freedom.

the best entertainment

is to swim through my mind and catch strange imaginary fish.

the trouble with Time

you can melt into days and nights and consider it only a moment.

when you write a song, you can sing it however the hell you want.

Glass covered heart.

Some stories are not allowed to fade.

I can't babysit children, because I'll tell them things like, "If you don't brush your teeth, Satan sleeps in your mouth."

The tree shakes and I turn red.

RrrrawwwwrrrrRRR

NOM NOM NOM

T-Rex ate your house.

forget 500 days of summer.  I want to see a movie called 500 girls named sarah.

I don't understand how people take drugs or get drunk, as the senses are already so intoxicating.

I literally had to turn down the music so I could taste my food.

Stephen Hawking speaks to me by the elevator.

Attack of the post its!

I need bethany to see the rattlesnakes in my path.

Today I got judged by a gas station clerk, made a security guard cry and argued my way out of a conversion attempt by a Buddhist businessman.

Avoid human connection FAIL.