For Gaokerena

“What you seek is seeking you.” ―Rumi

i think of you. with arteries cemented into ground
you are a beating heart that i keep in the palm of my hand.
roots, wrapping around my soil
colored skin
ain’t i holy?
don’t i got naps all up in my hair?
just like this Earth do?
aren’t my skin just as brown?
just as kissed by the khursheed?
your branches are so strong.
holding all of my body weight and
not allowing me to fall
they stretch upwards
fingers intertwine
the holiest of matrimonies
with each bend, and lump
pop, lock, and shift
you grow
my hand can feel all of the hurt you have to stomach
the sanctity of innocence, ruptured
how the entirety of the creation is completely hidden
i wouldn’t have found you had i not been searching
isn’t this life?
connection so deep,
Protector so strong.
like Allah
like a lover’s back
curvatures and nooks caressed out of hunger
imperfect, yet still so holy
still expansive
escaping all definition; my God
how i appreciate this offering

—By Husnaa Hashim