I Am Not a Believer

Stop with your accusations!

I am not a religious man, and never have been.

I am not attached to anyone’s sacred writings, or teachers, or mosques.

They are like candied dates:

pleasurable, but not enough to sustain one’s life.

They are like the shimmering silks worn by a beautiful and seductive woman:

nice, but the real pleasure comes when she takes them off.

So stop calling me “holy man” “teacher” “religious” “believer”

I have as little use for these names as I have for a belt made of scorpions.

Married couples do not call each other “husband” or “wife” when they are alone.

They just say, “Honey” or “Sweetheart” or “My love” or, more likely

just “kiss me”

There is a difference between the mind and the heart.

Religions want your mind to be a certain way, to believe certain things,

so they can tell if you are “one of us” or “one of them.”

They love to name things, define them,
so they can tell who are the “true believers.”

But Najat says, Listen: I am not a believer.

I want to take off the silks and get down to business.

I am not religious.

I am a punch-drunk fool

in love.