Are those words for me?
Are those roses for me?
Are those sighs for me?
Or are they for the world?
Or are they for your ghosts?
Or are they for your own self?
I sifter through them
I slide through them
I fly through them.
High
High high
High up there.
And I look down.
Is this a sparrow?
Is this a boy?
Is this a crown less king?
I cannot leave.
When your gaze turns inward.
When your words turn inward.
When your battles turn inward.
I fall down…
Like dust on your jacket,
Like a feather in your hair,
Like rain on your cheeks.
Are those my tears?
Are those your tears?
Are those our tears?
If there’s any doubt in your mind.
If there’s any fear in your heart.
If there’s any dust on your soul.
Please remember,
I am yours.
It is for you that I write.
It is for you that I sing.
It is for you that I pray.
In spite of the distance,
In spite of the veil,
In spite of the web,
Between us,
It is all for you.
May I be your shield.
May I be your banner.
May I be your cloak.
May we ride side by side.
May we struggle side by side.
May we pray side by side.
May you find your way home.
From this journey,
From this quest,
From this victory.
It’s not a battle of fists,
It’s a battle of might.
Of the soul against the self,
Of the heart against the darkness,
Of the feather against the steal.
My gentle sparrow.
I watch you through the mirror,
I watch you through the veil,
I watch you through my dreams,
as I struggle too.
Against my self doubts,
Against my nightmares,
Against my bitterness.
Do you know that I struggle too?
I am not a saint of stone and decay.
I am not a maiden of porcelain.
I am not a queen of glass.
I am too small.
I am too gnarled.
I am too cracked,
for perfection.
I hope you remember that,
When you long for me,
When you pray for me,
When you wait for me.
I am not perfect,
You are not perfect
but Our Creator is perfect.
And He knows,
what we don’t know.
So I pray,
Like I hope you pray.
Layla Ali Sultan 