Half-Day’s Delight

By Abd al-Hayy (Daniel) Moore

My son at nine who fasts half-days says
I should say how
everything tastes special
when we break the fast.

“What a good idea!” I say. So here it is,
on his young recommendation, first
taste of fasting in his
seasonal lifetime, already
seeing so much in the finest
details, knowing it all
comes from Allah—

the tang of apple or melted cheese in a tortilla
a special delight after
not eating even only

half a day!

Abd al-Hayy (Daniel) Moore has been publishing books of poetry since 1964 . This poem was originally published in The Ramadan Sonnets, A Jusoor Book from Kitab/ City Lights, 1996. It is posted here with his permission. See more at www.danielmoorepoetry.com.