The Elsewhere
The Land of Hippos – Written by Zahra, recorded by Jess.
Death Awaits when you’re in Slumber… – Written by Riley and Araina, recorded by Libby.
The Blue Mosque of Istanbul
Kindness and loyalty were calling me
Fused in every sense of the Almighty.
Bismillah, in prayer, sound of the muezzin,
Across the dusty cobbles and adhan.
Salah, uniting hearts and souls to love
Harmony and feel the spiritual bond
Transcending earthly realms and in rebirth,
My mother and I praying at the mosque.
Central dome over prayer hall, minarets
Ivory white, capped in cerulean blue.
I cross over the courtyard for wudu
As water splashes from the brass spigots.
Ablution at pale grey limestone basins,
Bags and sandels, walk onto lush carpets
Of the Blue Mosque tiled in words and symbols,
Place of peace beneath low-slung chandeliers.
Iznik tiles and painted floral motifs,
Sajjadah mats, verses from the Qu`ran:
Kneel, pray and reborn in the Almighty,
Filled with the peace of God with my mother.
Early morning prayers before tourists,
In the huge prayer room I feel like a child –
A vast, carved, strong space rising above me
Beneath, around, above me – I am here.
Mother of all buildings, a womb-like space
Not a cathedral pointing to Heaven –
A Western architectural arrow –
And the mosque calls me home like my mother.
I sit by a column, it nurtures me
And I let the Almighty`s peace hold me.
I take the gifts, I breathe out gratitude
Beneath the patterned domes and canopy.
Mother and I bathed in tranquility.
The word Islam means religion of peace,
Muslims are followers of peace for God
And here we are – in the womb of Heaven.
Ian Henery
The Moon Girls – Written by Kierrah, Scarlertt, and Avaya, recorded by Paige
8112 Magic Service – Written and recorded by Ellie
The Disappearance of Scarlet Banon – Written and recorded by Amy
Trains of Doom – Written and recorded by Max and Victor
The Girl and the Figure – Written and recorded by Paige
Three Train Friends – Written and recorded by Paige
Waiting To Be Read – Written and recorded by Andrea