Dear little warming disc,

Forgive me I haven’t been looking at you since a while. Forgive me I take your warm rays for granted. It is true that I long to coldness, rain, and the touch of snow, but you are authentic in many ways; you are the source of hope, for those who can’t befriend their eyelids… Hey! don’t fade away! I know you hear my words.. Yes I know you are a source of life, for those who can’t build a beautiful city in one day. But now you are gone, and left only a charming painting in the wide sky, and a soft breeze carrying a handful of hard-working birds. Promise me, you absent illuminating friend, that you will never stop unconditional giving. Promise me you will keep working and believing. And I will promise you that I will seek and find the path to peace.

Sincerely,
Kazem

If I am broken into scattered parts

I would never give up watching those parts

I would never give up trying to put them all together

Yes, a lot of people and events have been compelling me to unload my abiding values, so that I can float to the surface

But this will scratch the paintings of my childhood, and the dreams I had for the growing bird

The bird that has been flying and enduring hard-hitting storms, just to let me know it is possible

The bird that flaps its wings to send me some air, so that my chest can survive the heat of pain

And burns its feathers when my soul is cold

The bird that offers me tears when I am thirsty, and laughs to throw some hopeful waves along the way

The bird that understands me for who I am, and believes in the imperative happy ending

Dear Queen of Tunis,

Sometimes I think my expectations are much bigger than the sum of what life can give. Other times I think I don’t have the capacity to make use of what I have been receiving. Regardless of what I am feeling right now, something is urging me to write some words to you.

You are a gift in many ways. A gift of revival, for those who seek serenity and understanding. A gift of the sacred touch, by which you take whoever you want to a dream-to-be-engraved. However, you are a gift that undervalues its contribution to life.

I am thankful because you exist. You show me how the past and the present do conspire to make me live a peaceful future. I am very thankful because you don’t give up fixing an unmoving train believing that oneday it will run so fast. I am thankful for the adventures, for the talks, and for what the future will bring for you, or me, or both of us together.

Queen of Tunis, you are truly one-of-a-kind and please, never overlook a prophecy that may say you will make a palm tree smile, or a sad man happy.

Affectionately,

K.H.

Coldness will come, sooner or later

To justify the constant shiver of the soul

Maybe there going to be little rain

Maybe few pure drops will touch an abandoned soil

Maybe they can reassure it with vitality.. with life..

Maybe they will bring some inspiring feelings back..

I long to see thunder

I long to see creatures run and hide in something called home

I long to be home…

I fantasize embracing the roots-shaped lightening

Though it reveals itself and melts in a blink

I learn lessons for survival

I learn how to live with hope

The hope of someone who had lived to see the sky illuminated in the darkest night..

I am the revolution baby, if you can understand what I mean

If you can handle my natural exaggerations, my hyper-sensitivity, and if you can anticipate me growing

If you can forgive my ignorance, and see the indefinite possibilities of building a shared home

If you can touch my core values, and sail with me to the peaceful territory…

I am the revolution baby, and justice is what I live for

If only you hold my hand and walk me through the waves of the sea, so I feel strong

If only you realize the significance of some little reddish cuts below nails, or a few hairs touch my face by some fresh breeze

I am the revolution baby, and thus I can not write the whole song of my heart…

Re-claiming some scattered living emotive energy

They look so beautiful, as if they were never touched before

I walk, and walk, and walk

Nature, here I come with all my senses and dreams

Nature responds as usual

It is undescribable how the brown leaves hug my feet and lift me up to the world of truth

It is so spectacular how the pine trees protect me and my belongings, and teach me a great lesson about genuine care

It is overserene how the pure breeze can fill my body with simple, yet just and meaningful love

Bittersweet I thought, however, a soul-enriching experience is what I find

I forget the day, and I forget the time

I forget because they became of no importance

I start to laugh at something that I have never laughed at before

I start to laugh, and laugh, and laugh

At myself

When truth encounters ambiguity

When simplicity sinks in a lagoon of torn hopes

When persistence suddenly hits an iceberg of reality

When a story ends at the same time of its exepected beginning

Then, I have nothing to do but to laugh from the bottom of my heart

And fuel my will that I will never give up the engraved dreams

It was as obvious as a moon in a dark night, but this was not enough

For souls are greedy; they seek the ends

For it was not believable for the floating oasis to be visited

By a desert-walker magical fairy

Who won the first battle and opened the gate

And touched the land with illuminating feet

Who walked through some sacred territories, while blurring the perception of time…

The oasis sends out its dreamy warrior

To protect the fairy, throughout her peaceful endeavors

To embrace the charming thoughts, and gallop in the captivating eyes…

The horizon is only seen at sleep time

But who would challenge the power of a dream

I arrived yesterday to this historical city. Although I was tired and was the first person in the competition group to arrive, I felt this is the best chance to do the “Ice breaking” with the city. “City ice breaking” happens with me upon two conditions, first, to go and walk alone, and second, act boldly. Needless to say I have tried it several times and it works. I remember Fort Collins, CO and how the people were so friendly that they would guess I am lost and offer to lend me a helpful hand! And also I remember Munister, Germany, and Copenhagen. Anyways, I went out, alone yesterday. I was very hungry and very excited to see the Mediterranean sea from the other shore! Unfortunately, Sunday is a weekend so many shops are not open, but I kept walking and enjoying saying words such as ‘pardon’ in a way that makes me (and the french people) think that I am French hoping that they would not ask me any questions so as not to have my secret revealed!

Suddenly, I found that little pastries shop, I went in happily, and tried my bad french to request the sandwich I saw in their menu. And as expected, they did not understand a word until that french volunteer from behind offered  free interpretation. As soon as I finished my order, the girl asked about where I am from, and surprisingly, when she knew I am from Egypt, she spoke Arabic and said why didn’t you speak Arabic from the start!! I found out that they are Tunisian and they actually refused to take money from me, and wished me a happy stay in Marseille! I loved those guys so much that I kept the wrapping paper of the pizza I got from the, and I will keep it with me… That was on 3 hours after my arrival!

Then I headed to a public beach, sat and ate the delicious pizza while watching french families, couples, children having fun in this beautiful weather. Afterward, I started my 4 hour walk around in the city. Met a lot of people from north African backgrounds and expecially from Algeria. And me this beautiful young french family who talked to me and offered their help while I was trying to the Notre Dam historical place. They spoke English and seemed to be happy to be meeting the second Egyptian in Marseille!

While I am thirsty, I entered that bar with older people watching a football/soccer game to grab a bottle of water, The guy spoke no English, yet we communicated.  He told me c’est impossible to take the water out and I have to drink it inside the bar, and so I did and left to resume my walk.

I saw the residential buildings and how they are similar to downtown Cairo, walked and walked and walked until I am exhausted! then decided to go back to the hotel, and then I discovered that I had to do more walking! In order to get to the hotel, I had to ask 4 people for directions!

Those were my first 9 hours in Marseille. Although the world is very big and requires a huge deal of time, money and efforts to be explored, I always find that exploring myself and learning about it is much more harder, for real…

Bonne nuit!

I can smell the scent of the peaceful territory, but who said the road is paved

Flying over the boundless ocean, just to be reminded that I am constrained

And the bold thoughts are being reproduced, while the soaring boat keep on with no aid

Except for an energy of a believer, and scattered emotions, felt, not said

I get lost between a cruel past, and a seductive future, and fail to gauge fate

Hope, you have been a loyal companion. It is never too late

Look at the beauty we hid because we learned to look for anything to hate

Or listen to the pure music of our souls, isn’t it so great?

Now it is time to chase the colorful dream, befriend my truthful eyes, and aim to the gate