Along the Sirat

By: Salah Dandan July 23, 2026

The road refuses to swallow me.

To be among the travelers means to advance;

by standing still, I am regressing,

obstructing the way of those

striving to ascend.

Thorns choke the way-

Wounding and healing

as they are passed.

Like holding on to embers,

a stranger in familiar lands.

On top of the road, a voice is heard,

throwing a lifeline to those drowning.

The journey is long,

provisions run dry; and yet,

the heart is yearning.

The path is the destination-gifted,

a bridge over temptation,

with egresses adorned

and draped on all sides.

Zigzagging along,

inching my way through

obstacles familiar-have I not been here before?

Seventeen times, I stop for directions;

a path defined by who's on it

cannot be traversed alone.