Dear Moza

Dear Moza,

This note is coming a little late. I would have loved to say that “It was my powers of persuasion that turned her”, that “It was all ME! ME! ME!”. But of course I can’t say that. It would be false. This is why, for the sake of truthfulness, if I have to, that is, if I must be truthful, I can at least say “I was a subconscious force, secretly embedded into her brain years ago. Using my hidden powers of mind control, I Decided, it was time! Time to unleash a Mental Uprising that changed her vision forever!”

Memoirs of The Lifeless

By: Bint Khalid

A stranger was walking slowly on a great sbakha, a salt flat, extending to all four corners of the earth. He had left his car behind, some two kilometers back. The sun was past its vertical point, and as he looked forward he saw that the land was not level but went up in some places and down in others. It was a barren space, a wasteland where the only signs of life were those entrenched tracks where car tires have pressed for years leaving their marks behind. Cautiously he walked, placing his each step carefully on the ground; in some places the earth was soft and crumbled and in others it was prickly and hard. He passed some metal rods poking out of the earth like accusing fingers, indicating boundaries of lands belonging to people who own them no longer. The color of the land varied depending on its salinity, some patches were dark and others light, in some places it was streaky and in others a solid color, but the horizon was the same color of blue, slightly darker where it touched the earth. On schedule the sun was slowly descending and his back was to it as he walked towards that darker lining; the sea was where he was heading.  

What’s Wrong With Beige?

Inspired by The Giver, a beloved book of mine, and Color Lovers.

 By: Bint Khalid

Jonas lives in the world of Sameness. A community where members express no emotion, everyone is unfailingly polite and there are no attachments. They all look the same, they all think the same, they all feel the same. Individuality does not exist and if one is not adjusted appropriately then they are shamefully let go and ‘released’. It is a machine of a society devoid of color. Except for Jonas, who begins to see flashes of color, especially the color red, and gradually starts to experience real emotions, upon whence he decides to outcast himself in order to enjoy a truer and colorful life, where otherwise Sameness would not allow.

You cannot help but draw a parallel between Lois Lowry’s fictional society in The Giver and the real deal. The general blandness of today becomes distinct in one’s mind as you flip through the pages. Ask me how.

Kura

Dedicated to a teen who absolutely loves the game… and to someone who demands shorter posts to read…

By: Bint Khalid

Kurat al qadam, mostly known as Kura, which is ‘ball’ in Arabic, or  sokker, or futbol, or voetbal, or soccer, or football… despite the slightly different words and alphabets used to describe a sport, everyone knows this abbreviation: FIFA.

It’s a Date

Dedicated to someone who gave me true advice, and to those who appreciate.

By: Bint Khalid

There is a brown table, with beautiful wood, a textured surface and worn-splintered edges. Atop is a round woven matt of palm khoos, delicately braided, with light and colorful circular patterns in a dusty orange and a warm soft yellow. Atop this woven matt sits an old looking golden bowl engraved with tight arabesque designs, slightly dented on one side. Within this delightful bowl lay a mysterious entity. An oval shaped capsule that can be held between a thumb and a finger, slightly squishy and filled with an intriguing force. It is a centuries old exploit. It’s a date.