LIFE AS IT IS

The world is in my palm! "Global news?" Yes. "Weather updates?" Yes. "Friends and family?" Oh, yes. "Games?" Of course. "Camera?" Aye. "What's left?" Plants and animals perhaps. "Hmm... no living things then?" Nay, nothing alive, Also nothing that I can touch or feel.... "How do you then say the world is in your palm? Those people on your phone are just pictures, Those voices you hear are distant, You cannot see them, And you ignore them when they're in front of you." But... "Hush... Let me finish... You know why? Because you're too busy, Living life in your own little palm." © Wara Karim

Little things matter. Things as little as… The first drop of summer rain,  Or the first ray of sunshine At the end of a dull morn, Or a teensy bead of spring rain Dancing on a blade of grass.  Little things matter. Things as little as… A stranger’s smile on a crowded train, An unknown man’s hand of help When you can’t lift your own bag, Or a strange woman's pat on the head When you cry for your lost parent 30,000 feet in the air.  Little things matter. Things as little as... An unknown child’s “Hello”  In a crowded mall, A friend’s teary “Good-bye”  Before she boards the bus back to her city.  Or a lost friend's four words in your inbox - “Do you remember me?” © Wara Karim

It’s the little things in life That make life beautiful.  We carry a stranger’s smile,  Gesture of love, Drops of tears With us wherever we go.  We remember the first snowfall In a new country, The first dance in the summer rain,  Or the first rainbow in the western sky.  We remember who gave us a good meal When days were bad, Who uttered word of hope When there was no hope, Who held our hands and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” We remember the people, Who made us laugh  And made us feel That the world wasn’t a bad place at all. We remember the blind man We once met at the train station - His white cane was his scepter.  He radiated hope, he emanated courage.  Yes, it’s the little things and experiences That make life beautiful, Ask us to stand tall and brave storm, And tell us that the sun is there, Right there... behind those gray clouds.  You may not see it now, But it's there, there, right there.  © Wara Karim 

Zara's long, slightly curly hair was hanging from the back of a white leather couch. She raised her head for a second and turned it right and then left. "Oh, my neck hurts!" she said to herself. She had been sitting like that for almost two long hours. She knew she needed to leave the couch and mind the million and one important things that were going on in her life, but she was fatigued, mentally. She did not even want to open those kolh-lined eyes of hers - she feared returning to reality. "Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your day here?" Saadi asked her with a smile. Saadi, Zara's husband, was a most loving and considerate man. Zara had always felt lucky being his better-half. No, they did not know each other well before their marriage; they were not romantically involved in any kind of relationship. It was a marriage arranged by their families. But things clicked on their wedding night - they realized soon after tying the knot that nothing c

I’m alone, alone in this wintry morning The skies grey, the trees brown, The roads wet from last night’s rain. I wait amongst all these, Waiting for a perfect moment. A white sedan passes Not big enough, I think. I need a van, or something larger. As I think of the perfect way, The perfect way to end my world,  A sparrow comes and stands by my feet. A tiny life, so tiny that I can crush him. He looks at me - carefree, fearless. I squat on the pavement, And hold my palm towards him. He leaps, Uneasy, but not afraid.  With my hands and knees on the ground I take a closer look at him. He looks back this time, Courageous and confident.  We exchange stares for two minutes, Communicate shhh...  silently. Then he flies away happily, Leaving behind a man, New, sure, and fearless. © Wara Karim 

If you knew you would die young, Would you have changed what you had planned for life? Would you have studied art instead of business? Would you have pursued music instead of medicine? Would you have left your job and become a full-time father? Write short stories instead of marketing plans? If you knew you would die young, Would you have taken that vacation to the mountains that you postponed twice before? Would you have soaked yourself in the rain every time the sky opened, If you knew you came to live in this world for only 30 years? You thought you'd live to celebrate your 70th birthday. But if you knew this thought would one day shatter into smithereens, Would you have spent more time with humans than with screens? Would you? © Wara Karim