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