Found Happiness
Busy sidewalks
People walking
all about
Men in thobes, ghitrahs
Faces from far away
places
Dark skin, light skin, red skin, tan skin
Tall, skinny, fat and proud
Smells emerging
as spices simmer
in pots
large enough to bathe in
Men on bicycles,
pedaling along
Down streets
of busy markets
In the middle
of the suq and in the sun
Side streets
are bustling
on this busy afternoon
Shwarmas galore
In beef and chicken
Smells
so sweet
your tummy dances around
People selling pieces
of their
priceless treasures
from far away lands
Happiness
found me
today
on these small, tiny streets
Old
buildings
surround me
brick pavement beneath me
Sometimes
all you can hear
are
honking sounds
I searched
and
found happiness
it's here and there,
it's everywhere
I sat and watched
the people
working away
there were people
talking
and walking
Running
and singing aloud
Children laughing
in the sun
Swings,
slides and
monkey bars
A calmness surrounds me
Finally,
after so long.
i wrote this back in jan. 2006 about bahrain. i thought i'd never find happiness here... but whatta know... it comes from the weirdest of places... right when you're not even looking for it and least expect it.... and then not long after that, i got pregnant.... interesting, i'd say.
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11 comments:
Interesting how these little founts of calm appear from nowhere and completely change your perspective...
glad to know you're happy :)
Tonight we have been watching a travel program on the Middle East - thirty places to see before you die - sort of thing, and your city came up sbout four times. It is so rich, rich, rich - seems like there's gold and extravagance everywhere, but in your poem you see the ordinary life of people, thank goodness.
w.
A TALE OF CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT:
First arriving: This is all so cool!
After two weeks: Where has this been all my life?
After three months: I think I've finally got the hang of this!
After six months: Gimme a hamburger and a Coke, or I swear to God I'll PUKE!!!!!
After nine months: Alright, alright...I'm dealing with it.
After 1 year: I guess it isn't as bad as all that.
After a year and a half: I'll never fit in. I'll never fit in. It's hopeless! I just want to go home, but I can't!
After two years: You know, I guess I'm not sure where "home" really is anymore!
After three years: I don't fit in over there anymore. I guess this is home now.
After five years: I guess either one will do.
After ten years: You know, they're both the same to me now!
(Does this sound familiar or totally different?)
moody, :) sounds all too familiar!!! BUT... mine was a little more like, i hate this place, i wanna go home NOW! ;)
notes, i agree. simple things in life tend to do that for me... sometimes :)
ammar, not always, but ain't that life.
wendy, don't believe everything you see on tv. they show what they want the outside world to see. there's so much behind the curtains.... a lot of poverty here and a lot of ppl struggling to survive, especially these that i talk about in my poem. i was in a part of town that day that was mainly filled w/ indians and asians of every sort.... going from here to there... everyone was in a hurry, and then you had those that weren't. that sort of hustle and bustle tends to always draw me in....
Um Naief, looks like you've found your oasis. :)
I am interested to hear your impressions when you go on vacation to see your family.
WOW, Moody's 3rd and 5th years are exactly like mine! But I am NOT sticking around here for year 10!
Very aptly said.
I liked the last part of your post...getting pregnent and then comes your lovely Naief ?
Do you feel homesick when you are back in the States ?
Being half Bahraini, this sounds all too familiar to me. I had to struggle to fit in in both countries. But I guess mooody's right, its all the same to me now!!
Peace,
SoulSearch
hey Tania ! im so glad that you are Oaky .. and that the little one is okay i have being reading your blog friend and im very very happy that you are happy with your life! .. It has being so long he? i didnt have computer and honestly i didnt want to bother you wille your baby was so little .. iknow how is like when you have anew born at home im glad that you are okay God bless you always
Lorena
jac, you know... when we were back the last time, i didn't feel homesick for bahrain at all. i did want to be home to unpack and not live from suitcases.. you know. but ... i didn't miss anything else but our cats! :)
soulsearch, it is hard to fit in, and to be able to feel like you're fitting in is so important to being happy... i believe. i still have days that i feel like i don't belong here... and i wonder if it'll always be that way.
lorena hey girl! long time no talk. we're doin good... just learning day by day. :) how are things w/ you?!
olivia, now... i wouldn't say it's an oasis... but i like the thought! :)
and my trip has to be rescheduled. my husband's schedule changed, which changed so many things and now i have to wait a bit. maybe xmas... or at least i'm hoping. if not, then we'll do his 1st bday there... which will be just as fun.
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