LIFE AS IT IS

ভয় পেয়ে যখন আমি মা, মা বলে ডাকি, মা তো আমার কয়না কথা  মা দিয়েছে ফাঁকি৷ মাকে ছোঁব ভেবে আমি  হাত বাড়িয়ে দেই,  বুকের ভিতর কে যেন কয়, কোথায়? মা তো তোমার নেই! মা যে আমার চলে গেছে না ফেরার এক দেশে,   মা'কে ছাড়া জীবন গড়ায় দিন পেরিয়ে মাসে৷  সবাই বলে মা নাকি আজ দূর আকাশের তারা! তারা নাকি ওরাই হয় যাচ্ছে ছেড়ে যারা৷ © Wara Karim

Pause, Please pause. Now think, Think hard, Think a li'l longer. Think of past, future Think of death. Ask, ask yourself, What it's you're running after, If it's really worth your time, And your leisure. You have sacrificed so much To be at the top, To be rich and famous. I say, That's fine... As long as you don't regret Tomorrow, or 25 years from today, For all the things you missed in life. © Wara Karim 

I looked into the distance From the top of the mountain And I saw the port's yellow lights, Blinking and flickering, Blinking and flickering Like four fireflies in a jar. © Wara Karim 

I looked at the heaven above, And I saw an indigo stole.  Even with five rhinestones missing, Threads hanging loose,  And small rips here and there, It was the prettiest stole  I had ever seen.  A thunder strikes.  The pretty stole begins to descend, Descend on me... To keep me warm till eternity. © Wara Karim

I was at a clinic yesterday morning for my annual health screening. The first person I talked to was the front desk receptionist, a woman whose head was covered in hijab. She looked biracial to me (African American + European American). The doctor who saw me was a young Pakistani American woman, also in hijab. She said she was born in Pakistan but grew up in the US. Last year, a European American doctor saw me during my physical. I didn’t know she was a Muslim until she said “Ass alamualaikum” to me before leaving the room at the end of the physical. I was surprised! She said both she and her husband converted to Islam more than a decade ago - both of them were students at the time of their conversion.  Anyway, from the clinic we went to the nearby Dunkin Donuts to grab some sandwiches - the young lady who took my order was a Bangladeshi. The middle-aged man who handed me our sandwiches was a Bangladeshi, too. Bangladeshi and Muslim.  My OB/GYN (Obstetrician/Gynecol...

A pinch of tolerance, a dash of respect, a bit of openness, and a handful of love. Mix, and you have the potion to make this world a better place to live! Now, drink up, please. © Wara Karim