12 Ramadan 1443

Every lunar month, it’s possible for a human being to bleed out 80 milliliters of blood.

The menstrual bleeding doesn’t kill them, although for some, it can feel like death.

And for some, it can feel like the beginning of childbirth, the beginning of life.

When you grow used to looking for the new moon at the turn of every month, it does something to your sense of time.

In anticipation of the full moon, I’m bleeding earlier than usual.

And I’ll be eating when the sun is out for the next few days, until the full moon wanes again.