Five Times a Day

I am laying in the shade near the village well

While old Muhamet’s widow scolds, shaking her fist

and calling me “lazy.”

She has been a widow for many years now,

so perhaps she has forgotten

that when you make love for hours on end

you need to rest a bit before you can do it again.

Her shrieking is interrupted by the distant cry of the muezzin,

And with a yawn and a stretch I get to my feet.

My love is calling me for another roll in the hay.

Five times a day is too much for some people.

But Najat knows that when Allah picks you for his lover,

He gives you amazing powers of endurance.