Ramadan Poetry Contest Winners
“Cupped Hands”
Five times a day, I settle into my knees
with the top of my feet kissing the carpet
I cup my hands in humility
and ask for security and happiness
for love and success
these angels with their
ears trained on my every wish
I hope they think I'm enough
even when I don't
sometimes I imagine
that if I was truly deemed worthy, then
they would pour blessings
in the form of milk and honey
out of their chalice and down through the atmosphere
target locked on my palms
I force the muscles in my forearms to tense
wrists at the ready, fingers tied tightly together
and with this rumbling stomach
I'll make sure to catch
every drop
2nd Place: "Bismillarhirahmanirahim!" by Yusra Hassan
Congratulations to Yusra Hassan on her second-place win! Yusra is a student and young poet from the GTA who has a deep-rooted passion for poetry and spoken word.
"Bismillarhirahmanirahim!"
Glory be to Allah, the all-mighty, the creator, the all-forgiving, and the sustainer.
In a time of chaos indeed, let go of the one who drowns in sorrow, and ask the One who brings tomorrow. As quickly as it may have gone by, all we have left is what we try.
When entering the final stretch, do not let sadness overcome the Jannah you fetch. Muslims all around the world have grown to adore, but it shall not be with us no more.
What to do? No one to go to! Who to tell? No one to yell to!
Don’t fret says Ar-Raheem because the final stretch is filled with forgiveness and reward, indeed it’s time to reach out to our Lord.
The beauty of this month is that our rewards are doubled so that on that Day, we shall not be troubled.
Open are His Gates, perhaps only your salvation awaits.
So Muslims, let our foreheads fall, to accept His Word that has been sent to us all.
In this month, focus in the depth of the odd nights, for, perhaps, at the end may be a bright light.
Before it ends, let us raise our imaan to meet Ar-Rahman, For indeed He is the One who loves all man.
3rd Place: "So Fast, You're Leaving" by Haajarah Abdulzahir
Congratulations to Haajarah Abdulzahir on her third-place win! Haajarah is also a young student and poet, who believes that poetry can be a very important tool for bettering her society. She loves to work on Islamic spoken word and classical poetry.
When you first came,
I thought you were gonna stay a bit longer. But now that you are leaving so soon, I'm starting to miss you (Ramadhan).
Peace and joy it brings
Following the prophet
is the way to live
Like the pious predecessors
did
You commanded your
prophet to fast and his people. Yeah, we say, we listen and we obey, our Lord.
Your reward and your
forgiveness, we seek to attain.
You told us, our Lord,
that the gates of hell are locked. And we hope that you free us from it.
Reading the Quran,
pondering over it, we hope this heart finds peace.
And this soul will
cure, but only if God willed.
If you prayed during
the night, God will forgive you your past sins.
But only if it was
done faithfully
You protect us from
our desires and inappropriate language, by the willed of God
You should see his
character. Yeah, when he speaks, he only spoke truth. When he walks, he puts his head down. Humbly, his eyes looked.
So O people, know that
it is obligatory upon you to worship the God you used to worship (in Ramadhan)
Hold strong to the
Quran and Sunnah,
Like the companions did
And rush to success
A hearty congratulations to our all talented word-smiths!
