Noor Naga is an Canadian-Egyptian writer, born in Philadelphia, raised in Dubai, and studied in Toronto.
MEETING
Noor Naga
The chair I chose for me and the chair I chose for you were at a table behind a pillar where I hoped we would not be seen or heard or smelled or tasted by the women who no doubt were licking their spoons slipping spoons into the sides of their tights toothpicks in their hair you came late with a light step your head a balloon on string bobbing statically somewhere near the ceiling your legs listless thin trailing the floor some men ooze sex and it has nothing to do with their bodies you were not pretty do not think you are pretty middle-aged man with no hair with cuticles gnawed down to the rat beds but when you shook snow off your coat using your shoulders alone when you yes then every woman in the room stopped rubbing salt between her fingers remembered her own desire moved the stolen spoon in her tights front and center every woman understood why the girl in floral headscarf had come early and tried out all the chairs why she stood up when she saw you sat down stood up and sat down stood up started to cry you said me too kissed the pearled hood of each eye in turn before you laughed and laughing snorted so she would know you had once been a boy.
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WAITING
Noor Naga
This is a practical religion there is a prayer at dawn (beginning when it is light enough outside for a black thread to be distinguishable from a white thread and ending at sunrise) there is a prayer at noon (beginning when my shadow is the driest puddle at me feet and ending when my shadow is as long as I am tall) there is an afternoon prayer (beginning when my shadow is as long as I am tall and ending at sunset) there is a prayer at sunset (beginning when the sun sets and ending after dusk) there is a prayer at night (beginning after dusk and ending at dawn) these five are obligatory an app on my phone alerts me when the time for one has come there is a prayer for rain there is a prayer for the dead there is a thanksgiving prayer and a prayer for guidance there is a prayer for greeting a mosque when one enters this is a practical religion there is no prayer for waiting for a married man to ping ping this religion is not sentimental is not just fuzzy heart-feels it is a code of law is you step outside the law this religion stops talking to you it is unclear how to proceed.