Good poetry gets better with background sound and music. Here are two poems: "Schuylkill Smoketacks at Sunrise," and "The Town Historian," written by my friend Edward Stephens, and remixed by me. The latter, a portrait of a love-struck character poring through his town's history to prove a point about beauty. And the former, well:

"How utterly the alabaster spreads / to shade the coming light."

Included in this four-minute mp3 is my favorite Chopin Nocturne. Get lost in the smoke and mirrors (link to full sound file).

Labels: audio, poetry

Muslims pray five times a day, even if they happen to be stuck in Harvard Square on a hot June day. My aunts use the sun to figure out the direction towards Mecca.

Basically, it usually rises to your left. -No, it sets on your left. -No, towards your left is the east, and towards your right is the west. -That was in England. -But England is also in the east…I could be wrong.

Their daughters are not religious—at first glance. But. What they say about finding a "side room" sounds very similar to how their mothers describes the "essence" of prayer. Hear four distinct Muslim women sound off in this three-minute soundworld.



And here's a brief glossary for the un-initiated:

qibla = the direction Muslims face while praying (i.e. towards Mecca)
namaaz = any of the five daily prayers
hijab = Muslim headscarf
sajdah = lying prostrate during prayer
side room = a private-or-not-private space that Muslims occupy for prayer when away from home

Labels: audio, islam