She sat by me
Little did we know that her mother threw up that morning…
She praised her Lord unfailingly
Settled mom in, cleaned up, brave face on, shiny eyed…
she entered our world
Smiling, engaged, clear and kind…
she drew us in, undemanding
Her light shone through; brighter than the last time we met…
a mere sixteen hours past whirled
And now: Math problem mishaps, blank stops while writing, complex
conundrums in reading…
the tears began flowing
She sat by me…
her gentle, listening heart and understanding gaze, unperturbed
Little did I know at nine, that being by my broken presence, fueling my
inner light, was her nourishing,
and was what I would hold on to in the years unfolding
Patience personified… she stayed in me.
Nabeelah Rahmathullah, Rabateer
