Young birch forests came out
from movie theaters,
the grocery stores were full
of wild fruits
and mustard eggs.
A satin castle resting on Doric columns
was erected by the pine trees
on the boulevard.
In the middle of the marketplace
oaks set up a monument
honouring the shadowless,
rainy season.
Everything was available
in the intoxicating air
of the conifers,
and white rabbits
somersaulted
on the magic carpet
of the floating meadows.
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Excerpt
…back for a while; his thoughts travel to his good, old friend in Baghdad. Ibrahim has
done well with this young man; he has brought him up the right way. It’s no wonder
the old man is so proud of Hakim. It’s no wonder that he sees him as a real son; he
even calls him his son. He gets the check and goes out to find a taxi to take him to the
Sheraton. The rest of this weekend is going to be smooth and pleasant for Bevan
Longhorn.He may even sleep in peace tonight since he knows everything is coming
together nicely for his exit strategy. His plan is unfolding like clear spring water
running slowly down to freshen up the roots of the delicate vegetables and flowers.
Monday has gone by slowly but steadily, as if time learned to go by unnoticed,
like a well-tuned machine with gears grasping everyone in between them,
stretching and pulling to the point of being ready to snap. Hakim and Jennifer
spent their Monday getting ready for their move. She took the day off and did the
packing of things one does last; Hakim also stayed home and together they organized
the details of the actual move. Today, Talal has come to help them. He’s the
one who’ll get the rental truck. Emily is there as well, doing what is necessary to
help Jennifer with the kitchen items, since men do not always do things the best
way in a woman’s eyes when it comes to the kitchen.
Ahmed has gone with Talal to get the truck.
“I’ll get the stuff tomorrow,” Ahmed says.
“You got it, already?” asks Hakim.
“No but it’s ready; it’s just a matter of going for it.”
“Alright, now be careful. Who are these guys?”
“Leave that to me. Don’t worry about who they are or why they are doing
this; leave that to me.”
They get the truck and Talal drives it back to Hakim’s apartment. They start
putting things in one by one and Jennifer and Emily tell them where to position
them in the truck. It takes about an hour and they are ready to go to Emily’s for
the rest of the things. Once they finish there, they drive to the new place and
move everything upstairs. One elevator has been reserved for them and that
makes work a lot easier. By two in the afternoon, they are done; the only thing
left to do is to put together the bed and put away the kitchen things, while Talal
and Ahmed return the truck to the rental company.
When all that is done and Talal comes back with Ahmed, Hakim orders a
couple of pizzas and they sit around and enjoy the food. The weather had given
them a break with sunny periods throughout the day, and while it’s late in the
afternoon, there is still plenty of brightness, and one can see the beauty of the
view to the west toward the Pacific Ocean.
Economic Development
More and more cars
foreign investments increase
more and more people emigrate
newspapers report the country
entered a new phase
of economic development
while maintaining its cultural ideals.
Inherited ideals always matching
the new police enforcement.
Repetitions
Repetitions
recurring events deaths
still you don’t dare
shake dust from your clothes
slit a new path for
rain the riverbed yearns for
repetitions of promises or vows
recurring battle victories
still you hold the sword
like an unspoken oracle
assume resolve in its edges
solutions in its skill to
truncate the early spring and
erase the word peace from your life
Manolis Aligizakis 