She was perfect. Fair skinned, rosy cheeked. She had learned to smile, to be nice, to be pretty, to be polite, to show interest, to help a friend in need. But as she grew older, people no longer called her naive. They called her ignorant instead. She could hear them sneering at her. Their looks […]
more“My truth is a different one than yours,” she said. I had stepped into a coffee shop looking for a croissant and there she was. This lovely woman. A dazzling beauty with an overwhelmingly harismatic smile. Her eyes were soft. She said hello and complimented me for having written a novel. I knew her, […]
moreI crossed the street carrying chocolate. Rang the doorbell. “I came to give you this, it’s a Dutch tradition,” I said. It was a specific kind of chocolate.Did I honestly think I’d get away with just that and then swiftly return to my home, to my newspapers and magazines? My glass of wine?Of course Leila […]
moreIt’s hard to see a sister cry isn’t it? To just listen. To not want to cheer her up by saying everything will be fine. Not try to solve things for her, things she may not even want solved. Not tell her about when you went through something similar, only last week when…No, stop. Be […]
moreWinter. You tell me the tale of lost friendships. Of family, by a Christmas tree, pretending to have been unaffected by the cold. To feel warm and fuzzy. To turn our backs to the window that feels chilly, behind which the winds howl and the once gentle snow has turned to ice. Draw the curtains, […]
moreWe arrived well ahead of our clothes. I remember the dark, deserted streets, the non-paved sidewalks, a moon over shrublike trees, white plastic bags in their branches. There were only men in military uniform out there, at road blocks, holding machine guns. They didn’t raise their guns at our car, but they watched closely, hesitantly. […]
moreI like some days. Some days means they are exceptional days. Means taking a long shower. Means coming late. Late to the plans. Late to the work. Late to the silencing of fear. Fear of silence. Fear of nothingness. Keep going, don’t stop. Not even when you’ve had enough. Keep going. Go. Follow the flow. The […]
moreSing to me, live, my dear. Say it loud and clear. Tell me that what you feel is not real. Is a fiction. A poem. A dance. A song. A place only I belong. To you means nothing not a thing. Touch me, my dear, feel me, see. You will not silence me.
moreAn abstract composition of who she was. To have met someone. Twice, maybe three times. She was a powerful individual, a charismatic presence. Talented, and with that came the pain of a life led intensely. The hidden desire to simply be happy, one day. That day finally came as she met a man whom she […]
moreThe wrinkles around her eyes. I noticed those most. They told me a story of change. Of softening even though her features were still as strong as they had been back then. Her hair was only slightly less shiny. And she still looked amazing in a buttoned up man’s shirt. In fact, she looked cool. […]
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