Katherine Shehadeh
On the First Night of Ramadan
On the first day of Ramadan, my family gave to me—
well, nothing (that’s kind of the point), but not to worry,
the very first night of Ramadan was a whole ‘nother story…
There were Ramadan dates shared with Ramadan mates, &
Ramadan fishes paired with Ramadan best wishes…kisses &
hugs & kaleidoscopic prayer rugs.
My Ramadan mama gon’ an’ made us some traditional Palestine
pizza, the kind topped with the pine nuts & sumac, but certainly
not cheeza (though my sister stashed the spicy Cheetos for when
we could eat those).
We spilled that Ramadan Tea over Ramadan tea, passed around
Ramadan snacks & pickled what’s thats… After stuffing my
face, I’m reminded that it’s not a race; it’s a month-long marathon.