—for the 50 Muslims killed in Christchurch, New Zealand during Ju’mah on March 15, 2019
            [adhan]
My littlest’s small hands ask if I’m okay

this holy Friday. The alarm, and, minutes after, still

looking up into the square light

of my phone:
                        I’m weeping.
            [standing]
On the train ride to the airport,

my ex wife calls to say,                        Good news:
                                                   No cancer.
and I’m weeping all over

myself again.  		
                                    No one

                        seems to notice.
            [bowing]
There’s a baby            in a stroller

                                                            so I burst into tears.
Another’s beloved’s perfect 	shoulder. A child            on an escalator.
            TSA

            asks if there are liquids

            in my bag and I burst 
into tears	—sorry—I mean 	  I’m weeping, ma’am. Rifling
through my carry-on,        my contact        lens solution hits the floor,

and I’m sorry

                        —I’m sorry—
I’m trying to put all this 
                        water back 	into my eyes.
            [prostration]
I count up to fifty

people on the plane, 
and several are afraid

we’re going to die. 
I want to tell them:

We’re all gonna die. 
            [prostration again]
I’m a stranger        in California.        I search

for the closest mosque        by listening

            for the weeping.        
                                    The sermon: 
We’re all gonna die

                        and it’s a beautiful thing.

      May Allah

      make the angels        at the time of your death       ones of mercy.

Are we prepared to face allah subhanahu wa ta3alah?
            [sitting]
I touch my people’s knees.

I grace my people’s elbows.

I hold my people’s hands.

My people. My people. My people. 
May allah subhannalah accept them.
            [salam alaikum]
I say to my perfect Santa Clara strangers:
Thank you, brother. 

                        Thank you, sister. 
And I never meant it more in my life. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them.

May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah

subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah accept them. May allah subhanalah

accept them.