الأربعاء، أكتوبر ٢٥، ٢٠٠٦

The Gem


* Please have mercy not to preach me about hope & despair; sometimes things are not to be seen from that perspective. Sometimes we need to give space & consideration for human weakness.

The Gem

Once upon a time there was a gem that was born in a shell & has lived there ever since it was born. Then one day it heard a very nice sound outside, so it decided to go out & see what is going on out there. The gem got out of the shell; it saw a huge bird with colorful feathers singing a very touching melody. The bird noticed the little gem standing beside it, & thinking it was a grain the bird hit the gem with its beak & was about to eat it. The scared little gem rushed quickly back to its shell deciding not to go out again ever from its shell.
Now the years have passed, the gem has been living inside its shell & got used to its life that way. Until one day it heard another nice melody out there. This new melody reminded it of the old experience & it realized some thing about itself that it didn’t know before; this gem is not the type whose wounds heal. They just cover themselves or hide in a closed box until, for some reason, are uncovered again & they start aching like before. It realized also that by the passage of time, the shell has become harder from the outside with the gem inside, & the harder the shell becomes the weaker the gem becomes.
The poor gem didn’t know what to do. Would it go out & risk its life again, or would it just ignore this new melody as it sounds exactly like the one before. “Maybe it’s a kind bird, maybe it’s a bad bird... What to do? What to do?” the poor confused gem kept thinking. With bleeding wounds of the past, present fears & an aching heart with all these burdens carried on its weak shoulders, the little gem kept moving in circles around its shell thinking & thinking & thinking. “Maybe I’m too weak, maybe I shouldn’t risk my present safe & peaceful life, maybe I should ignore the nice touching melody outside…”. The gem kept moving & moving in circles until it got so tired & so exhausted & so consumed by confusion. At some point it broke down, fell on the floor, wept, cried, sobbed painfully.

The gem was too weak to try
The gem had to cry
The gem had to dry
The gem had to die


الأحد، أكتوبر ١٥، ٢٠٠٦

Tango for life!



* I recommend listening to Edith Piaf's song "La vie en rose" while reading this post! Enjoy :)

Tango for life!

Where did this melody, this eternal song that kept playing on and on, come from? When did the blood start flowing in the veins of life? When did this perfect picture gain its wonderful, perfectly matching colors? How did this dance start?

Their graceful bodies stretched. They were looking at each other’s eyes. As he was stretching out his strong arm, and slowly embracing her waste, she was landing her small hand on his shoulder. He took her other hand in his, and the warm rounded tips of his fingers rested in the small palm of her hand. Who was inviting whom to the dance?

“I don’t know how to tango.”
“Who cares?!”
“How shall I know what to do?”
“You’ll know.”


And there they moved.


On the dance floor, they were breathing with the same rhythm; inhaling together, and exhaling together, they were breathing the same air. On the dance floor, they were flowing smoothly; flying slowly like a lazy butterfly. They went in circles, on and on they went. There were times, when he stepped towards her, and she stepped back to give him space. And times when she stepped ahead, and he stepped back to welcome her at his place. There were moments when she looked down in doubt, and he led the dance, and moments when they moved in the direction where she had stretched her pearly neck. Taken by the slow peaceful melody, they flowed and flowed.

There was a moment when he stopped, looked at her with kind and encouraging eyes, tightened his arm around her waste making her stretch her body more then before, and firmly held her hand in his. There he bent a bit forth, letting her body bend backwards, moved her in half a circle, then invited her back to his embrace. How has she felt in those moments? In those moments, she saw the world upside down. She saw the world like she had never seen before. She freely flew in a circular motion. She felt the air moving around her face, making her hairs tickle her cheeks. She smiled, and said to herself “No need to be afraid. He’s there, he’s holding me tight.” When she came up to his arms again, she was a different person. For the first time in her life, she had seen the world, experienced the world, in a very different way. Since then, she has no more been herself; she is herself in harmony with the world.

By the time the final note was being played, they were ending their dance. Who stopped first? Who bowed first? Who came up first? They raised their heads, looked at each other’s eyes.

“It’s not important to dance well.”
“What’s important is to have a partner who’s willing to dance.”
“..Willing to make it a harmonious dance.”



*A deep sincere "thank you" to a kind-hearted friend for encouraging me to bring this piece to existence.