Written piece
The Sanctuary
Fatima Kabir
Nigeria
About this piece
My poem is a regurgitation of my heart. I had been depressed for years, newly divorced, and had just closed from work when I found myself in an unknown street. I sat in the car, Qur'an playing as the rain started to fall heavily. And for the first time in years, I felt joy.
Is it strange
that sometimes i enjoy sitting in a parked car
in an avenue where nobody knows me?
Is it strange that in those moments,
I feel most secure?
Just me and my car,
locked doors,
a good book,
Minshawi playing
as i reflect on life.
I love solitude
because that is the loneliness that i choose.
And as i write this,
in my parked car,
as the rain falls heavily and unapologetically around me,
I squeal with joy!
For I am free when I am alone.
I am free
as the rain falls on
but not on me.
I am free
where nobody knows.
It is just me and my thoughts.
And all my senses come alive
as I perceive the sweet scents
of nostalgia and joy,
as I see more clearly than ever
a present where I am happy.
as I listen to the Qur'an
lulling me into a trance.
O creator of the Heavens,
what beauty you have made here on this earth,
one that can only be seen in solitude
one that can only be found in contemplation.