WHICH MUSLIMS DO YOU WRITE FOR?

by Elizabeth Shanaz

The ones tired of performing / The ones with tattoos and piercings and cuss words’ fragrance on their tongues / The ones who are nearly hafiz / The ones who still have to look up the steps for namaz / The ones sick and tired of that masjid Attitude Aunty / The ones with more ex-lovers than fingers, maybe toes, too / The ones who cover / The ones who will never cover / The ones who crawl back under the shimmer of a roja moon / The ones still contemplating return / The ones prone to forgetfulness / The ones with implants and transplants and zabiba / The ones the Saudis won’t allow their people to marry / The ones who need YouTube to read them the Qur’an / The ones with screenshots of du’as saved on their phone / The ones dying to be themselves, exactly how Allah made them / The ones with Qur’ans collecting dust / The ones seeking a merciful creator in a sea of lectures obsessed with wrath / The ones who are seeking / The ones who sing for worship / The ones who dance for worship / The ones who know that art is worship

*previously published in January House Literary Journal