Ahnaf Reza

“The eye that looks ahead to the safe course is closed forever.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune

“When you left I walked
into the ocean. Not to
drown but to be held

by something
reluctant
to let go. Don’t

make this bigger
than it is, which is big
enough to swallow

whales
and civilizations.
I joined

the blue, I was blue.
And when I looked
down, I shattered

and reformed
so many times, you know, I couldn’t catch
a clear look at myself.”
― Leila Chatti

“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“When the world goes to sleep, God is the One who is awake with you. God sees the tears you hide with smiles and He embraces the pain you think no one would understand. “Not even an atom’s weight in the heavens or the earth remains hidden from Him” (34:3).”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam