And It Is

by: Sajida Mohammed

Adult Category Winner

IWA Poetry Contest 2011

Give Him a word

One word

And you'll drown with its meaning

You'll sink with its lovely essence

Dumbfounded, you'll think your dreaming

Give Him a word

One word

And He'll craft a work of art

Design an untold masterpiece

Deep rooted in your heart

Give Him a word

One word

And you'll shine with its brilliance

Glow beautifully in its depth

A story filled with magnificence

Give Him a word

One word

And you'll know what it means to smile

To Laugh, to love, to live

To go that extra mile

Give Him a word

One word

And you'll see the essence of your being

The wonders of what lies around you

The fragility of this life your living

Give Him a word

One word

And trust that nothing will be missed

Give Him a word

Just one  word

'BE!'

And it is.

Cherry Blossom

by: Farah Razeena Abduz-Zahir

I touched the petals of a cherry blossom, bowing low on laden bough

today, while waiting for the bus.

Low enough for me to reach out and caress,

And feast my eyes on their angelic hue.

My bus came then.

I jumped on, keen not to miss, a ride to deadlines upon deadlines.

But that moment my fingers connected

I swear; the electrons in my skin jumped. Excited

Pulses rushed to the brain.

Somewhere, some deep synapse

Reverberated. In some deep way.

The signal synchronized with the soul of me

Often am I oblivious. To this inner soul.

A me in constant worship

By virtue of being a created being. Regulated, kept alive, harmonized

To laws of physics and nature. Indisputable, irrevocable, inescapable.

I exist;- an embodiment of the slave of Allah

A cherry blossom invoking a profound lesson

Magnificent slave of the Magnificent Maker

Look! Cherry petals everywhere… carelessly strewn by a dancing wind

Swirl and twirl and settle, in eddies and corners,

Filling nooks and crannies of busy sidewalks

People busily hurry over.

Unaware, Unknowing, un-remembering.

So hard to be always aware of where

we came from, where we are going.

But look! Look at all the cherry trees, boughs bent low in worship.

Always aware.

Carelessly it seems, the Glorious One scatters His glory,

Each petal a miracle

Thousands upon thousands fall and pile.

A powerful reminder, we trample on.

Oh resplendent Lord, not needing our worship

I look everywhere and everywhere I see

Your immense bounty

Let me then, worship thee

As my body, my mind, my life, my existence worships thee

Let me be aware.

Like that cherry tree I saw

Connected to my Maker, in serenity