LIFE AS IT IS

I want to get up and smile The first thing in the morning. I try, but I can't. I want to wake up and jump off my bed, I try, but I can't. My legs feel heavy and mind benumbed. I want to tweak my resume, Re-write my cover letter And fill out those application forms online. I try, but I can't. I want to hang out with friends, But I can't. I eat when I am full But starve myself when I am supposed to eat. I cry, I cry for no reason at all. My eyes, my poor eyes, I want to stop sobbing at night. I try, but I can't. Some nights I sleep too much Other nights I am sleepless. I am irritable, I am restless. I am hopeless and totally helpless. But I don't give up. Giving up is out of the question 'cause I know the sun will rise soon Sooner than you all think. And my life will begin anew. By Wara Karim 

It’s the little things in life That make life worth living. 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 words of hope When there was no hope, Who held our hand 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 a 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 worth living, Ask us to stand tall And brave all the storms, 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. -W.K. 

A young lily, peace lily, White, green and graceful Looks out the bedroom window From an olive flower pot. She waves at a maple, Which replies by swaying her leaves. Then she nods at an old cherry tree, Which looks up and waves in return. For a minute, the lily feels tall and strong. She also feels closer to the vast sky - Her owner dwells in a high-rise. For a small houseplant that spends her life on a windowsill, This one-minute is very precious! ~W.K. 

Walking down the alleys of life, we wonder where we came from and where we are going. We look for a purpose in life, a purpose that will keep us from getting lost in this crazy world. While we may not always find a purpose, thinking about life itself often helps us realize that we are not here to stay forever, and therefore should make good use of whatever time we have left before sunset. ~W.K. 

He walks from here to there There to here... everywhere, In search of happiness, In quest for peace. He looks for happiness in comfort, Clothes, cars and games, Foods, shoes and holidays. However, happiness is a feeling Not to be found in material things. Well, sometimes, yes. But most of the time, no. Likewise, peace of mind Is a state of mind. We cannot catch it with li'l effort - It's like fireflies - elusive. Peace and joy come from bigger things, Simpler and purer things of life. Happiness can come from gazing At a star-studded sky, Helping an old lady lift her shopping bag, Listening to a songbird chirp Or watching a squirrel munch its acorns. -W.K. 

The thought of a hearty meal over steaming white rice, spicy-crunchy hilsa, and a peppery preparation of smelly but scrumptious dried fish makes most Bengalis salivate, especially on the first day of the Bengali calendar. Whether they are at home or 9,000 miles away from their roots, Bengalis' undying love for their food, culture and heritage keeps them spirited on any given day, and gives their children one more reason to be appreciative of their lineage.  The Daily Star link  March 28, 2017  Not just within the borders of Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh celebration is a huge affair among Bangladeshi communities abroad, too. Events coordinated by Bangladeshi associations take place at homes, school premises and even stadiums! Organised by Bangabandhu Council Australia, Pahela Baishakh celebrations held at Australia's Sydney Olympic Park, for instance, draw tens of thousands of Bengalis from all over Australia every year. Bangladeshi immigrants gather in Sydn...

We live and breathe in a consumerist world, a world where participating in the rat race is becoming the norm often at the expense of spending quality time in the company of people we love most. Today, the world is such that our children also grow up to compete against each other, rather than stand by each other or lend a hand to each other in times of need. The materialistic world is giving birth to future materialists, who obtain happiness from their material possessions -- toys, clothes, shoes and accessories. The Daily Star link  March 7, 2017 A 2004 report by the American Psychological Association on children and advertising found that American children on average watch 20,000 commercials each year. An alarming reality!  Although the above-mentioned statistic only applies to the U.S. economy, it is safe to say that if you live in Bangladesh and your child is a regular TV viewer, he or she is also exposed to a few thousand commercials each year. Even YouTube v...

I heard that I would hear people speak Bengali in its shops, restaurants, roads and alleys. I was told that I would see women shopping in sari and shalwar kameez, and men discussing international politics over shingara and steaming cups of tea. How many Bangladeshi expats would let go of a chance to experience Bangladesh away from it? I would never!  The Daily Star link  Feb 21, 2017 It was the summer of 2013, it was my first time in Jamaica, a neighbourhood in Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City. I had heard so much about it from friends and relatives that I was convinced a summer vacation in NYC was incomplete without one trip to this diverse neighbourhood.  So on one scorching afternoon of May 2013, my family and I embarked on our exploration of Jamaica. As we left the subway station and began walking along its Hillside Avenue with our then nine-month-old daughter, I turned my head to see anyone who spoke Bengali. No language ever sounded sweeter ...

To a summer person, winter is perhaps the bleakest season of all, the season when Mother Earth gives up her vibrant shades to give way to copious amounts of white and grey. But if you live in a place where winter lasts four or more months, falling in love with winter is critical to your survival -- you teach yourself to love the wintertime. It could be challenging, though. Snowfall is a spectacular natural event -- absolutely one of a kind. I stood frozen with my mouth agape when I first witnessed a snowfall eight years ago; fresh snow resembling shreds of white cotton candy descended from the heavens above and turned a small city into a winter wonderland. The beauty around it was too much for me to grasp. I had seen snow before, but never in real life. I had seen snow in Hollywood movies, story book illustrations, photos, and greeting cards sent by extended family from faraway lands. As a child, I dreamed of scooping snow from the ground and hold it against my cheek....

If you love noise, laughter, clink of gold bangles, gossip, full-flavoured food, makeup, music, insincere praises, and have a skin thick enough to endure caustic remarks about your age, weight, height and marital status, a 'deshi' wedding is 'the' place to be.   The Daily Star link  Nov. 29, 2016 It is a place where you walk into people of all possible kinds – big, small, old, young, men, women, children - a microcosm of the society you live in!   Wedding season is here at our doorsteps and very soon you will be at the receiving end of one of those spendthrift wedding invitation cards calling you for a regal wedding consisting of thirteen functions and more. Consider yourself lucky if you have not been to one of those weddings but either way, royal or not, weddings are your free ticket to scrumptious meals and the Bengali circus where you will most likely encounter a diverse collection of people – some of them leaving you mentally scarred for life! You me...