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| Fasting for Ramadan, a book by Kazim Ali that explores the rites of the Arab ritual |
In the last post, we discussed artist Anne Truitt's Daybook, a journal that takes a critical look at self and meaning through language.
Another book that's landed on my desk recently is Fasting for Ramadan (newly released from Tupelo Press). This book is also a chronicle of time passing and daily activity, but it is written by an accomplished poet, Kazim Ali, and focuses on religious ritual and abstinence.
More structured than Daybook, Fasting for Ramadan takes the reader through each day of the 30-day rite, often reporting morning and night. Because this journal (or essays, as it's called) was originally written as individual blog posts, it has the feel of being spoken to a reader, the feel of a dialogue, the feel of currency, a sharing of thoughts.
Again, the work is a pleasure to read. Ali says,"my fast today is entirely personal... the moon is in the sky…" and "To eat is a gift. Hunger points you to it." I appreciate how he tells me so simply, and how true it is.
I want to read the book because I have never experienced such an extended fast. I want to read to know where the mind goes when you cut off the body's nourishment. I want to read for the imagery and the stillness, for the uncertainty and the power.
And I want to extrapolate from his experience to my own. How would I manage this ritual, this hunger, this time?
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