Spend Wisely

She tells him “this is how to put your hands on the earth and feel jannah”.

He listens to her like there has never been another voice in his ear,

he breathes her in as if he has never tasted fresh air.

She expands his chest and strengthens his back.

He carries heavier loads now.

She knows what to feed him and how to entice him.

She has waited too long to miss even a moment.

There are no guarantees and she has gambled too much to not lose now.

She puts it all on the table and pushes it toward him.

“Take and spend wisely. I shall be over here waiting.”

He has never held such a treasure.

He digs a hole where he knows no one will know, to hold it in safety.

No one else should see how rich he has become,

this man from the mountains, far across the deep saline seas.

An ocean had once been between them, and now he dives deep in her dreams.