“in another age”
in another age,
the blessed Zamzam
had sprung forth
from the heels of Ishmael,
to quench the thirst
of mother and son,
today,
a migrant Ishmael
tries to awaken
a dead Hagar,
and even angels
close
their eyes
before the treachery
of humankind,
ghost tigers
observe
nature's sadomasochistic
dance,
what have we done?
birds
drift inside
my cloud cranium
I call your name,
among the desert music,
we meet
in dreams
in an unfamiliar
past,
I kiss
your forehead
and we exchange
moons,
our souvenirs
for lonelier days.
Note: According to other versions of the
narrative, it was from the strike of Archangel Gabriel's (sent by God) heel (or
wings) that the holy Zamzam sprang forth.
Zamzam is a well in Mecca that was miraculously generated by Allah to succor the infant ʾIsmaʿil (Ishmael) and his mother Hajar when they were stranded in the desert by their father and husband Ibrahim (Abraham). In some accounts, Isma'il scraped the land with his feet and the water sprang out; in other accounts the angel Jibra'il (Gabriel) kicked the ground with his heel (or wing). Ibrahim later rebuilt the Baitullah ("House of God," originally constructed by Adem [Adam] near the well, which is now known as the Kaaba. Hundreds of years later Muhammad's heart was extracted from his body, washed with the water of Zamzam, replaced in his chest, and filled with faith and wisdom.
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