Prayer Or Sleep Poem by Mohammed Nazeef

Yet again it is dawn.
The loud shrill crows of the rooster broadcasts.
Nay, the harsh sound of the alarm irritates.
The only euphony is the Athan (call to prayer) .
As it rains through the city.
It summons towards the end “… come to prayer, come to success”.
My ears can barely hearken.
Really, at this trice, sleep has never been so sweet.
The soul entombed in it at this summit.
The gentle breeze heartens it.
Tired muscles pledge for an excuse.
And the mind says I have gone too deep to rouse.
Nothing is enough to win a bargain against slumber.
But, yet again the Athan proclaims “…prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep”.
What! It reverberates.
This time, it tickles my ears.
Ignites the least fortitude buried in this clammy spectacle.
The two worlds are before me leaving me in perplexity; sleep or prayer?
Yea, verily, the promise of my lord is true.
And ultimately I should rise to prayer.
Alas, the war is over, I walk to the sink with drowsy eyes.
Dragging my feet in a lethargic rhythm.
Water bathes my skin during ablution.
Cleansing it and rejuvenating divinity.
Buoyantly, my sins would go down the drain.
There, the mat sleeps on the floor while my feet rest on it.
I begin my prayer appreciating my efforts…
That prayer is better than sleep.