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ramadan’s greeting by Sanah Ahsan

By Wasafiri Editor on April 8, 2022 in Poetry

In celebration of Ramadan, read Sanah Ahsan’s evocative and rhythmic poem ‘ramadan’s greeting’, and listen to an exclusive reading by the poet.

 

we pluck the new moon / out of mecca’s sky
a lottery ball / make a guessing / of gods

plan / first fast will be Thursday / chuss me! /
nah fam / Friday / you’ll see! / it comes

when it comes / the day tall and endless / we empty
our stomachs / our senses / restless / sexless

whizzing ablutions / can we wash ourselves
of ourselves / want to / no longer / want

what we don’t get / wait / witness
the greed growl / grumble / gratitude

in the vacant gut / we greet the god that is /
more god / than the god we greet / the wanting

never wanes / desperate desire / for the sun to
sleep / mosques sealed / so we meet

in open mouths / at the date’s wrinkled
skin / bursting under bite / sweetness floods

into / us / like the quiet dark of dusk /
shadowless / hungry eater / of light

 

Listen to an exclusive recording of Sanah Ahsan reading ‘ramadan’s greeting’ below:

 

Sanah Ahsan is a poet, liberation psychologist and educator. She won the Outspoken Performance Poetry Prize. Recently, she’s had poems shortlisted for The White Review Poet’s Prize 2022;  Bridport Prize 2021; longlisted for the National Poetry Competition 2021 and the Frontier Poetry Prize 2021. Sanah is part of the BBC Words First Alumni. Her poetry has been broadcast on Channel 4 and BBC. The Guardian described Sanah’s poetry as ‘an exhilarating declaration of love.’ Sanah is currently writing her debut poetry collection with support from Arts Council England. Her website is here. 

 

Cover photo via Wikicommons

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