Author: afzal

  • Happy Constitution Day, Norway!

    Photo from my archives (2010). Crowd weaving their flags and cheering as the children’s parade walk by, in celebration of the Norwegian constitution day on May 17th at “slottsparken” (the Palace Park), near the Royal Palace, downtown Oslo, the capital of Norway. Instagram @Sadphaze, http://ift.tt/1XwEJMN

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    afzal

  • Last of the Dreams (Part 3)

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    Coming back from the ceremony, she feels tired. It is late and she has to get up early. Still, she does not feel like going to bed, on this, her last evening as a girl. Her younger cousins take turn to decorate her with Henna, they too tired from the evenings festivities. As she closes…

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    afzal

  • Sorry

    Sorry. Deeply and profoundly sorry. For the times I say it, but not strongly enough. For the times I should say it, and I don’t. And especially for the times I do not even realize I should have said it. Sorry. For all those times and many more.

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    afzal

  • Blood Moon

    Super moon, blood moon, and a total lunar eclipse. All happening last night! Last time anyone saw this sight, was back in eighty two. Many have opinions about this phenomenon, and say they’re right! I choose to see it as a beautiful light, and wonder if I will live to see it next time too.

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    afzal

  • Shooting Star

    I am going to dream about a shooting star. A shooting star that is always so bright. A shooting star that is so far, yet so very and dearly close that I can even see its light shining down on me, and feel its warmth in my heart. This shooting star is always there even…

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    afzal

  • Beyond the Stars

    There are other worlds beyond the stars; More tests of love are yet to come. This vast space is not lifeless; In it there are hundreds of other caravans. Do not be content with the world of colour and smell; There are other gardens, and other nests, too. What is to worry if you have…

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    afzal

  • Eid al-Fitr Mubarak

    Every year, as the month of Ramadan draws close, I feel like standing before a mountain to be climbed, wondering if I will have what it takes to make it all the way to the top. This year, with 20-hour days in the middle of the summer, that mountain seemed taller than ever. Now, with…

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    afzal

  • Eclipse

    As the moon starts to cut into the bright yellow disc of the sun, I realize what is about to happen. In a few moments, the light will be gone. As the moon positions itself on top of the sun, almost fully covering it, my heart feels heavy. What if there was no way to…

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    afzal

  • Last of the Dreams (part 2)

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    She has celebrated numerous henna ceremonies before, but her own ceremony is nothing like she has imagined. It seems that chaos is everywhere. And although the whole world seems to be happy, she knows many to be superficial smiles. Worn only for the evening as a gesture of good will. As she sits with her husband-to-be,…

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    afzal

  • Last of the Dreams

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    Finally, the long-awaited time arrived. She had been dreaming about this moment since she was young, imagining how it would be, when it would happen and where. For the bride, who is soon to depart from her childhood home,  the day of the Henna ritual is long and exhausting, but a day where she is…

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    afzal

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