Every morning I wake up before the sun,

because cats.

And because I like the world better before it rises.

Every morning I sit quietly and sip my coffee before I do anything else,

because caffeine.

And because if I am quiet enough I can hear the call to prayer.

Every morning I let that song wash over me.

I always think how beautiful

And lately why so sad.

.

Now I know why:

Because quote twenty six thousand killed in Gaza unquote

Because quote if you attended a funeral per day for every fallen child it would take over 27 years to attend them all unquote

Because quote six year old boy watches his father’s blood soak through a white flag unquote

Because there are 1.4 million people who currently quote lack everything unquote

Because Palestine is quote a place of death and despair unquote

Because Gaza has become quote uninhabitable unquote

Because quote 66% of Palestinians suffer from water-borne diseases unquote

Because quote the West suspends funding to UNRWA unquote

Because we are using words like quote mass graves unquote

Because quote women use strips of tent cloth for pads unquote

Because they are quote birthing children without anaesthesia unquote

Because at night quote toddlers sleep in tents in the mud unquote

Because in the morning they quote grind chicken-feed to make flour unquote

Because when I moved here someone mentioned that I’d have to listen to

the call to prayer everyday quote how annoying unquote.

.

Because I ignored her comment instead of denouncing it

Because Islamophobia

Because white supremism

Because the state of the world

Because genocide

Because injustice

Because silence

Because once the world said quote never again unquote

(apparently never again is now.)

.

Every morning I wake up before the sun,

because cats.

Every morning I drink my coffee before I do anything else,

because caffeine.

Everyone morning I listen to the call to prayer in its entirety,

.

because hope.

.

There is still a people out there who believe

in the power of their prayer and the goodness of their god

despite being persecuted for it daily.

.

Maybe there is hope for us after all.

Quote unquote.