By Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes
VISITING THE HALA SULTAN TEKKE (THE MOSQUE OF UMM HARAM)
We take off our shoes
before entering the mosque
Bare feet hovering
over red and gold carpet
We pause inside a prayer niche
carved with familiar stars
Leaf through a Koran
We can’t read Arabic
nevertheless
the Prophet’s teachings speak to us
page after page adorned
by soaring calligraphy
Nearby three religious pilgrims
rest on their backs
pointing to birds
circling a light in the dome
They say the winged creatures
are sacred
because no droppings have been found
within Islam’s third holiest shrine
We walk through an inner archway
where the prophet’s Aunt is entombed
Beneath a magnificent shroud
her sarcophagus
is said to be suspended in midair
Outside it is July
and the normally dry salt lake
is overflowing with water
from last winter’s rains –
The entire mosque
Floating