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Dead chimneys smokeless lips without a smile victorious hearts that died — we have to bridge the edges of the abyss. We the people, over and above all, people, steadfast, breathless, shameless without any doubt with nothing hidden we shall charge into the streets again to rebuild life we, first of all, shall rebuild life. Sky full of voices inverted clouds that executed the high-noon — newspapers just printed by the printing machines. None of them reported anything about the faucets they turned on on their tortured bodies.
For an Old Fellow Student Now that my heart has aged, my friend and my years in Athens have passed sweetly and joyously in parties and sometimes in the grief of hunger I won’t ever return to the homeland that graced me with the celebration of youth but only as a hoping passerby traveller with my dream that vanished a pilgrim I’ll go back to your house to find out they don’t know where you are. Along with someone else I’ll meet your Aphrodite while others will occupy the house of peace. I’ll go to the tavern to re-order the Samos wine we used to drink I’ll miss you and their wine will taste different yet I’ll drink and I’ll get drunk singing and staggering I’ll go to Zappeion where we used to go together the horizon will be wide open all around and my song will sound like a lament.
Emily walks around and admires the luxurious details, the color scheme, and the functional design. She is in awe when she looks toward the water in the west as the sun is about to go down; the sky is red and there are hardly any clouds. “Oh, the view is so beautiful,” Emily says to Talal. “Yes, it’s phenomenal. Hakim has found a very nice place.” “How expensive is this? Has Hakim told you?” “Of course, he has…It cost $ 1,750,000…but where are you going to find this kind of a view and this kind of quality for less? Simply, you get what you pay for.” Hakim and Jennifer try to visualize their furnishings in the apartment and make a list of the extra things they need to buy. Hakim notices how all this pleases Jennifer, who’s organizing her notes, “Why don’t we hire a professional decorator to give us some ideas of things to put in here, baby?” She looks at him with a bewildered look on her face. “No, we don’t need a decorator; we’ll choose our own things. Why would we need a decorator?” Emily says, “That may be a good idea, sweetheart.” Jennifer is firm, “No, we don’t need help from any decorator; we can do all this ourselves.” “Then we don’t need a decorator,” Hakim agrees. They spend about an hour in the penthouse, with George staying out of their way as they put together notes and ideas.
Emily goes upstairs to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable while Talal sits on the couch in the family room and turns on the TV. He lies back and relaxes; it’s 7:30 p.m, time to think about dinner. His mind travels home to his siblings in Falluza whom he hasn’t seen since he first left Iraq. His sister Aesha is to be married next summer, and his younger brother Abdul must be fifteen years old this year. They have grown up and he has been away from them all this time. He wonders how they get by financially. The few dollars he mails now and then are not enough for them to live on; he wonders about their grandfather’s pension. He will find out more when he’s there. Emily comes downstairs and says, “Hakim knew about our going to Iraq for a holiday?” “Yes, my love.” “When did you tell him?” “Hakim and I talked about it before I made up my mind to go.” “Did he ask you to go for some reason?” “No, we both thought it would be a good idea to get you away from here for a while, and going to Iraq would allow me to see my siblings. Of course, he likes
and I said, “Look, Danny, I can’t walk you home any more.” “Yes you can,” he said, smiling his imperturbable smile. “You have to. We’re best friends.” “But I don’t want to. I want to go home.” I knew that there was always the threat of violence under the surface of what passed for our friendship. I expected him to hit me, or at least yell and rave and tell me that without him I’d be dead meat in the schoolyard, which was true. But all he did was sit there smiling that miserably beatific smile. Then he said, “Pawsy, I don’t like walking home alone. I like walking home with you. I like asking you about the Dixon Pencil Company and how they make pencils out of stuff. I like it when you do things you don’t like but you do them because I ask you and you’re my friend. I guess you’re not my friend no more.” I didn’t know how to tell him that he was never my friend. He was my bodyguard, my – and as I thought the word I knew the boys would hate it – benefactor. So I just stood there with my briefcase in my hand and looked at him, slouched in his faded plaid shirt in the desk seat that was too small for him, and tried to tell him that I was grateful for his protection and for all the pain he had kicked away from my life, but that we had never been friends. I couldn’t. I didn’t say a thing. I stood there for a long time watching his eyes get softer and mistier. Then he said, “O. K. Pawsy. See you around.” When he got up from the desk he looked like he weighed a thousand pounds and as he walked up the aisle and out the door, I felt so bad I wanted to go down to the railroad yard and hop on a train and ride myself out of there forever.
Chapter Two ͣͣ After she put the groceries away, Tyne carried the clothes she had bought for the children, into their bedroom. The gingery aroma of freshly baked cookies she had seen cooling on the kitchen table followed her up the stairs. Absorbed in hanging the two identical pairs of pants and blouses in the clothes cupboard, she did not notice Rachael come into the room. “Hi, Mom. Have a good day in Emblem?” Tyne swung around to face her eldest daughter. “Hello, dear. Yes, we had a nice day. We did the grocery shopping, after which your dad treated us to an ice cream, then we bought new play clothes for the girls.” “Guess Katie was delighted to shop for clothes.” “Ah yes, she was. But Susie … well, not so much. The difference between those two never ceases to amaze me.” Tyne shook her head from side to side. “Katie even suggested that next time we should go to Medicine Hat to shop because, quote, ‘The stores in Emblem are too small, Mommy. They don’t have enough nice things.’ Can you imagine? She’s six years old, for goodness sake.” Rachael grinned. “That’s my little sister, all right. She’s either going to be a model or a movie star.” Tyne grimaced as she hung the last of the new garments on a hanger and closed the closet door. “And what have you been doing while we were away?” She smiled. “Besides baking cookies, that is. Any visitors or phone calls?”
Mayanaam
vequinox
Manolis 