In the Memory of Hagia Sophia

Sumera Saleem

September 15, 2024

We are wandering through the city of mosques, Istanbul,

And we follow the way to Hagia Sophia as eagerly as we usually ignore history.

We stand in wonder under the dome, blessing us like the hand of God,

And the mosaics cradle centuries of power.

In them, you may see the rise and fall of the cross and the crescent.

This sacred space has turned like seasons,

From church to mosque and mosque to church.

What has continued to reign across thousands of years

Is the prayer of the faithful, whose face does not belong to the East or the West.

Sumera Saleem is currently pursuing her PhD in environmental humanities at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia. To her, reading poetry is as important as breathing. Her poems have appeared in Tejascovido, Langdon Review published by Tarleton State University, USA, Blue Minaret, Lit Sphere, Surrey Library UK, The Text Journal, The Ghazal Page, Pakistani Literature published by Pakistan Academy of Letters, and Word Magazine. A few more are forthcoming in international and national anthologies.