Sheniz's Work

La Ilaha illah Allah punctuated by rain

the way to halt thunder is to pray for rain.

In Dar-es-Salaam, raindrops soaked the rose carpet.

He arrived. We exhaled Arabic. He reversed our rain.

Frost was convinced the world would end in fire and ice.

But these eyes know God speaks in floods, light and rain.

When Hagar and Ishmael sunk their names in sand,

Zamzam sprouted as Allah cried, “When will it rain?”

Hallaj’s ashes bloated the Tigris with Truth

When they surface, this desert will drown in his rain.

For you, it is singed streets, locusts, blood scraping skies

But my end will come when the pen no longer reigns.