submission and wonder

i pass by every so often
around noon or so ~
the lot is full of
cabs, minivans, and mostly well-used
cars, though a few are newer

many drive, but some don't
i see them walking
across the busy street
dodging traffic
making their way to
Friday Prayers

as i drive, often wearily
preoccupied with lunch,
or from meeting to meeting
i can almost smell the rich spices,
dishes from their (parents') home lands
as different from my heritage
as my jeans are from
flowing robes and leather sandals

but it's their assembly for prayer
that jolts me from the
complacency of routine
and melancholic
spiritual malaise

though their Friday assembly
looks different from ours on Sunday,
their submission to the will of G-d
- Islam -
shocks me toward my own
submission to the divine
and i wonder ...