Wanting Her(#1)

14

As the sky changes from charcoal to soft dove grey welcoming the blue that is to come. For the dawn is the invitation to the day, for muslims , it was more like guidance and purity to the soul through the first prayer of the day, Fajr.

The rambunctious blaring of the small alarm clock jarred Noor out of the nightmare sleep she was having and jolted up, smashing the snooze button as hard as she possibly could.

The alarm was an ear-splitting wail, sounded like a world war II air-raid siren. It rose to peak and then ebbed and rose to a peak again, undulating like a wave and all the while ringing her brain out like a sponge.

Her feet got to the edge of the bed, it sank right into the softness of her bedside rug. Noor lifted her weight with her fisted hand dipping into the mattress for support.

Her head was rock heavy and woozy , her eyes rolled back into their sockets and she fell back on the bed with a tud.

After deep breaths and out, her vision was clearer so she got up again making her way to the toilet at a slow pace.

After offering her sallah,she sat on her praying mat that was facing the qibla as she read her Quran.

Rays of dimmed light began to reflect on her window which shone through her beige colored curtains, immediately she rounded up her recitation by closing the holy book and was on her feet walking towards her window.

Nothing calms her down more than anything other than dawn and dusk, she could ,if she would,give anything for those two moments.

She unlocked the window knobs, rested her chin in her palms that were supported by her elbows on the windowsill.

She watched as the outlines of the houses were becoming clearer and even the leaves on the trees are looking more green than grey, dawn is here for sure.

The few flowers she was growing there began to take on their vibrant and verdant hues.

How often we see the dawn and take for granted the sun, that we see the blackness become a vista, the world we love, our home... yet after that, do we think of the light and how it brings our world to life?

Do we think of how it shows us colour instead of only grey and warms us from our skin to our core, ignites our thoughts to beauty, inviting that light and warmth to enter our hearts also, before respectfully giving us time to dream, to accept it as part of ourselves if we wish.... yet always giving us the moon and stars.

Noor let it soak deeper as a feeling of small joy spreading slow on her face, she loves how life is blessed first in monochrome and then with subtle hues of colour,her worries vanishing slowly and she could only hope can for a sunset, a burnt orange sky to warm her fitful dreams.

Her day has just began, after tidying up her room and getting somethings done, she got out of her sanctuary.The house was relatively clean but she still dusted and swept few places not forgetting to burn some incense sticks round the house. The live of the house was regained.

she was already in the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to start working. She had no intention of following the timetable today, most of the meal is going to the hospital so healthy food is essential.

It took her roughly about three hours to finish preparing the nutriments, the soup was the colour of the autumnal vegetable garden outside, deepest green,it was the carrots and broccoli,dunked in homemade chicken broth with large cubes of chicken breast.

The plaited bread dough was made with whole grain , covered with garlic, olive oil and generous quantities of rosemary. It was then topped with some sesame and sunflower seeds. Out of the oven it was golden brown and crusty, denser and smaller than her loaves usually turned out.