In case you aren't familiar with the Love Inshallah book stories: http://loveinshallah.com/ this is their site. warsan shire, the somali poet, has been recently featured on there. it's a very interesting collection of stories told through the perspective of women, who share the identity of being muslim, on love, marriage, intimacy and all that is in between. it's an eye opening experience. the reason i'm posting, is that now they are trying to get the male perspective as well. and if there are muslim men around who have something of value to share in this theme - contribute. you can stay annonymous or use a different name, whatever. it is nice to know that the human experience, while it can feel isolating, is shared by all. http://loveinshallah.com/2013/01/15/call-for-stories-muslim-men-on-love-sex-intimacy/ CALL FOR STORIES: Muslim Men on Love, Sex & Intimacy You heard from the ladies in Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women, now it’s time to hear from the men! Announcing a call for non-fiction, personal stories by American Muslim men on love & loss, sex & intimacy for publication in 2013. Submission deadline: March 4, 2013

 WHY MUSLIM MEN? For every stereotype about Muslim women, there are as many about Muslim men, lacking nuance, reflection or celebration. The search for romantic love impacts men’s lives deeply and yet there is little space for men to address these issues, share their experiences, or feel less isolated when it comes to affairs of the heart. In the wake of Love InshAllah’s global success and growing recognition in both the American and Muslim communities of the need to address the critical role of love, sex and relationships in men’s lives, it is the right time for Muslim men to share their intimate insights. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Stories must be autobiographical and written by men who identify as both American and Muslim. We are looking for contributors who reflect a broad range of religious practice and perspectives, from orthodox to cultural to secular. Write about a transformative episode that defined your dating/relationship/marital experience. Did factors such as religion, ethnicity, race, class, family, etc., play a role in your story? We want compelling real-life storytelling and dialogue, not essay-like commentary. We prefer that authors write under their real names, but recognize that some topics – including (but not limited to) sex, divorce, abuse, emotional/physical infidelity, sexual orientation, polygamy, mutah, etc. – are sensitive, so we are accepting a limited number of submissions under pen names. DIVERSITY Contributions are welcome from American Muslim men of all racial, ethnic, sectarian backgrounds, sexual orientation, ages, born and convert Muslims, disabled, single, engaged, married, divorced, or widowed. DETAILS Submissions should be between 1,500 – 4,000 words, double-spaced and paginated. Please send your submission as a Microsoft Word document attachment to stories@loveinshallah.com

Could Have --Wislawa Szymborska, It could have happened. It had to happen. It happened earlier. Later. Nearer. Farther off. It happened, but not to you. You were saved because you were the first. You were saved because you were the last. Alone. With others. On the right. The left. Because it was raining. Because of the shade. Because the day was sunny. You were in luck -- there was a forest. You were in luck -- there were no trees. You were in luck -- a rake, a hook, a beam, a brake, A jamb, a turn, a quarter-inch, an instant . . . So you're here? Still dizzy from another dodge, close shave, reprieve? One hole in the net and you slipped through? I couldn't be more shocked or speechless. Listen, how your heart pounds inside me.

Tillamook;874476 wrote: i carry your heart with me(i carry it in) By E. E. Cummings i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) i LOVE this poem! and this song. "George Strait - Carrying Your Love With Me"

Romantic Moment After seeing the documentary we walk down Canyon Road, Into the plaza of art galleries and high end clothing stores Where the mock orange is fragrant in the summer light And the smooth adobe walls glow fleshlike in the dark. It is just our second date, and we sit down on a bench, Holding hands, not looking at each other, And if I were a bull penguin right now I would lean over And vomit softly into the mouth of my beloved And if I were a peacock I’d flex my gluteal muscles to Erect and spread the quills of my cinemax tail. If she were a female walkingstick bug she might Insert her hypodermic probiscus directly into my neck And inject me with a rich hormonal sedative Before attaching her egg sac to my thoracic undercarriage, And if I were a young chimpanzee I would break off a nearby treelimb And smash all the windows in the plaza jewelry stores. And if she was a Brazilian leopardfrog she would wrap her impressive Tongue three times around my right thigh and Pummel me softly against the surface of our pond And I would know her feelings were sincere. Instead we sit awhile in silence, until She remarks that in the relative context of tortoises and igunanas, Human males seem to be actually rather expressive And I say that female crocodiles really don’t receive Enough credit for their gentleness, Then she suggests that it is time for us to go To get some ice cream cones and eat them. (watch reading here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/video/315 )

this is cute. nicely collected together.

Either Or BY NICK LANTZ “He is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive.” —Donald Rumsfeld You haven’t heard from your father in six months and you can’t bring yourself to call. In Bengal, farmers wore masks on the backs of their heads to ward off tigers, who, one supposes, wouldn’t attack a man who was watching. If I don’t call, you thought, nothing is wrong. Each possibility is a cavern eaten out of limestone by water. Naming everything is a way of naming nothing. His family dropped away like cicada husks swept off tree trunks by rain. One brother, heart attack. His father’s two feet taken by diabetes, then his father by stroke. In a tornado, leave your windows ajar. A doorway for an earthquake. In a lightning storm, do not pick up the phone. Learn to see out the back of your head. His youngest brother, weeks dead before discovery: the couch where he died, face down, shadow of rotted flesh stained into fabric, ghost of a face. Imagination kills the living just as easily as it brings back the dead. In Turkey, they hang the nazar—teardrop of blue glass— on lintels, above beds, from the rearview mirror. To ward off evil, they say. ( http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/240424)

The Imagined -by stephen dunn If the imagined woman makes the real woman seem bare-boned, hardly existent, lacking in gracefullness and intellect and pulchritude, and if you come to realize the imagined woman can only satisfy your imagination, whereas the real woman with all her limitations can often make you feel good, how, in spite of knowing this, does the imagined woman keep getting into your bedroom, and joining you at dinner, why is it that you always bring her along on vacations when the real woman is shopping, or figuring the best way to the museum? And if the real woman has an imagined man, as she must, someone probably with her at this very moment, in fact doing and saying everything she's ever wanted, would you want to know that she slips in to her life every day from a secret doorway she's made for him, that he's present even when you're eating your omelette at breakfast, or do you prefer how she goes about the house as she does, as if there were just the two of you? Isn't her silence, finally, loving? And yours not entirely self-serving? Hasn't the time come, once again, not to talk about it?

ReInventing Education

If you want a very quick take on how important this article may be to your future happiness and success as a man, honestly assess your reaction to its title. What did you feel? Were you aghast? Did it offend you? Did it piss you off? Are you utterly confused? If you’re this guy, you DESPERATELY need the wisdom found below. Were you intrigued by the title? Did it resonate with you for some unknown reason? Did it make you smile? If you’re this guy, you also DESPERATELY need this wisdom. The difference is, it may be much easier for you to take action. And if it turns out that you have already taken this courageous action, terrific. You’re now in a mature relationship with your mother. Good for you, and for those around you. If you other good (or not so good) little boys want to feel what it’s like to be a real man, a real man in your relationship with your mother—and ultimately, a real man in your relationship with a significant other—then pay close attention. If you follow the advice you’re about to receive, you will never be the same. And that’ll be a good thing! http://artofmanliness.com/2011/01/12/blow-up-your-relationship-with-your-mother-and-get-one-step-closer-to-being-the-man-you-want-to-be/

Hero! Best Soundtrack Ever! Kill Bill. this is the music that inspired the soundtrack for Kill Bill

Oh sweet. There is already a TEDTalk thread going. I wouldn't have posted the JR art piece separately if I had known. Awesome job, Prometheus.

Hello Everyone. I have no idea where to share this, so it shall be in the general Folder This was a very inspiring talk on the power of art to change perception. It has much potential for anyone that wants to get involved with JR. http://www.hulu.com/watch/221157/tedtalks-jrs-ted-prize-wish-use-art-to-turn-the-world-inside-out I hope you enjoy.

Get them on a sugar high and let them all take naps. THEN read to them It should take about 30 minutes. Bring your ipod for that 30 minutes.

Spring is here.

All the techniques you'll ever need to win an argument online. It cracked me up. Hope it does the same for you.