On Ramadan

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Part 1

I am not Muslim, but on Ramadan,
     I pray that all of us be kind –
     That rise or set, no matter where the sun,
Oh, kindly be the friend we find.

Part 2

To feel the hunger that the poor may feel –
This is what Ramadan means to reveal.

Part 3

To exercise restraint
     On things that we consume
     Allows our soul the room
To love without constraint.

Part 4

To fast means more than saying ‘no’
     To food or drink or smoke or take –
     It’s saying ‘yes’ for goodness sake 

And following where angels go.

Part 5

Can we be faulted for the human wish to have, to want, to get? 

Maybe not. If the call to give is something we do not forget.

`On Ramadan © Ron Villejo

Ramadan and Change

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That Ramadan can help us change is right –
The holy month creates a line of sight
To lasting goodness, and ensures the fight
For peace and hope and charity is tight.
The whole of us must fast throughout daylight –
Besides our mouth, our heart and soul must cite
The reasons to refrain from any might
That hurts the others, with whatever slight –
No gossiping, no rumors, lies or bite
Of insult – and, if so, be sure to write
Or say “apologize.” There, from a height,
We know that Allah watches, eyes as bright
As sun and moon, with such a goodness white

With all perfection in the day and night.

For Sameera and Saba, after hearing feedback of Dr. Omar Abdel Kafi’s lecture on Ramadan

`Ramadan and Change © Ron Villejo

Before Iftar (Part 2)

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I moved to Dubai in August 2006, and one of the first things my friends told me, on my first Ramadan that year, was to be careful when driving home in the afternoon.  Muslims may be so hungry that they feel sluggish or irritable on the road.  Apparently there is an uptick of accidents during the holiday.

Two drivers jostle with their speeding cars –
One is apparently not happy with
The other's purposeful refusal to
Shift to the slower lanes and, what is more,
His dangerous tap on the brakes, forcing
The first as well to slam the brakes into
A screech as loud as his increasing rage.
The other driver speeds away, perhaps
Smug in his momentary satisfaction.
The first gives chase, and does his payback bit –
They weave from lane to lane, into the distance
Faster and smaller than the rest of us.
A few kilometers away, there is
An accident – thank God, the drivers look
To be just fine, and the police is there.
These two are not the drivers whom I saw
Before – so then I pray their tempers cool.
I pray, should any accident occur,
That God keep it a minor incident. 

Before Iftar (Part 2) © Ron Villejo

Before Iftar (Part 1)

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Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, which is a very sacred, yearly holiday that lasts about 30 days.  Each day, from sunrise to sundown, they are not allowed to consume anything: no food, no water, no smoking etc.  Iftar is the breaking of the fast at sundown.

The man is wearing a red cap and shirt,
With yellow for his collar, and black pants.
He squats beside a bucket of the red
He wears, and carefully prepares for Iftar.
The tray upon the graveled ground is large,
Fit for a group of men ready to break
Their fast. For everything about him here –
The color of his clothes, the things he does –
Reflects the bounty of banana cut
For grateful bites and watermelon sliced
Meant for the tray and picked up with two hands.
The tray and his positioning let him
Be cradled in the bosom of the earth.

Before Iftar (Part 1) © Ron Villejo