Still no permit, so…

So here I am, in a hotel in Iraq and still waiting for the permit to visit Ur’s ruins. I was the first one to greet the morning after an interrupting sleep; for me, new bed requires new habits of sleeping, which is hard to break. My schedule is not clear yet, our visit came suddenly, so we have no sure plans to go with. Me and my brother decided to go to my aunt’s house for lunch and that’s where I saw a couple of things to share. We took a taxi cab which was really fancy… Too fancy for the bad roads they have over here.

My brother is here on business, so he left me with mom for a while. I decided to check out my aunt’s library and suddenly I found this book.

It is a novel written by my father. So now you know where my writing genes come from, even though I published in English and he did so in our native tongue. The book is named (a bird in narrow sky). It is a collection of true stories about how the new and revolutionary political parties had affected so many lives of those who stand in between each fired up groups. The first story for example… It talks about a coffee place where all writers and poets gather to talk about art. The place was very important because it was a place that united all the parties and they all became friends who just talk about what they love. The only argument allowed was about art and artists. Other than that the owner will simply raise the sound of the radio which played the songs of Zohoor (which means Roses). Everyone falls silent for her sad voice, but not always, sometimes arguments lead to disturbance. That coffee place was a symbol of unity non the less… Which was a reason why the old corrupt government tore it down, I think in the 90’s. It was replaced by shopping stores now.

I found this painting later that day.

This painting was drawn by my late grandfather, it is at least older than 50 years. I never saw him before, he died before I was born. So this piece of him haunted me. I really wish I could tell him how brilliant he was. All his works are somewhere else.
Today I tag along with my old brother, he has more business in another city. But that’s not all.
Until then, enjoy these views.

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