Sea Foam

The little mermaid and me

<"I" would be more proper of course, but
يحق للشاعر ما لا يحق لغيره>


She gives up her voice to become human
Her prince does not recognize her
She turns into sea foam.
زبد البحر


But what does it mean?

Between the realms, underneath
she dives into the unconscious
She swims in the abundant vibrance and the grace
of water

The wind stirs her waves
and inside her a fire stirs
the shore comes
She opens up
Her flesh fields of grape, fig, and palm

I take a taste.

L:- 21/1/2010

The sky is purple

Man has always aimed to the sky
KItes
Planes
Rockets

And we dig
into the ground
with a shovel
But rock stops us midway
or less than mid way
We stop
sometimes we find a spring or well
If we're cursed, we find oil

Into the sky
What flies is an extension of me
There's a thread between us
Translucent but sturdy
like that of a web
The spider crawls from beneath the carpet
I squash it
-just kidding, it's alive.

Ode to the internet
So what if it's a window into secrets
A spying eye into the files of any self
So what....
The way it makes me spy
with my little eye
something that begins with
-You name it, and there it is.

Life in 3D ... and the fourth?
Five people and two dogs
Cirque du soleil on the PC screen, on TV is National Geographic
-Abu Dhabi edition
On one, a women in red hanging from the sky
The other, Omani men dancing with swords

Repeat
Life goes in a loop
But we don't have to
We can skip, from one hill to the next
in a green car

L;-

Fire

The wind doth deceive me and your voice I hear in the tree shrubs
Possessed am I with your eyes
They pierce my womb and into earth's core
I fall to your embrace

عشقٌ وجنون

Smile to me
For you I set my eyes on fire
With the lashes of your eyes
Hide me in the wallpaper
So I can stay near you
Unseen

Malaysia1: Langkawi

Come
Slowly
Like the sun setting in the Indian Ocean

Linger...
In every shade of pleasure.

كل اشي إنقلب، أو رجع إنقلب صح

Unzip you reality
Dissolve
Melt
Die
And wake up to Life

Artemis: Patroness of Jerash

Artemis was born from the union of the nature deity Leto and Zeus, the chief god of the Romans and the husband of Hera. It is said that Leto delivered Artemis without any labor pains. But after she came out, her mother started having birth pangs that lasted for days. In her womb was Apollo, Artemis' twin, waiting to emerge. Immediately after she was born, Artemis helped her mother deliver her brother. A midwife by nature. Later, she was known to come to women in labor to ease their pain, although at times she did that by ending their lives.

At three years old, Artemis asked Zeus at Mt Olympus to grant her some gifts. A bow and arrow to hunt with, hunting dogs, and a short tunic instead of a restrictive long dress. She asked for the mountains and forests to be her playground and to be accompanied by beautiful nymphs. Like the moon, she wanted to bring light into the world, and she wanted to remain chaste, a virgin, uncontrolled by men, un-swerved by their love.
Zeus said yes, and so it was.

Artemis protected the wild animals and the children, but she was harsh on those who offended her; those who transgressed suffered and those who trespassed tasted her wrath. The nymphs of Artemis vowed to her eternal virginity; Callisto was one of her favorites. Zeus fancied her and appeared to her in the disguise of Artemis. She let her guard down and was taken by him; he left her pregnant. When Artemis found out, she held Callisto fully responsible and shunned her out (she couldn't really lash out at god, her father, for causing the problem). Later, either she or Hera turned Callisto into a bear, first on earth then in the sky by Zeus. Artemis disliked weakness.

Artemis had sisterly bonds with women but complicated relationship with men. She killed a few. When Actaeon, the hunter, mistakingly came upon her and her nymphs bathing in a pool, he was transfixed and stunned. His glare upset her, so she splashed him with water and turned him into a stag. She then set his dogs after him.
Artemis also killed the hunter Orion, but there are several accounts to why. In one version, we are told that Orion was Artemis' one and only love. This made Apollo jealous. One day, Apolllo saw Orion swimming far in the water. He found Artemis and pointed out a distant object in the sea and said her arrow would never reach it. Competitive and eager to prove her superiority, she aimed, shot, and proved her brother wrong. When Orion's body floated, she realized she had killed her lover. Bereaved, she vowed to never love again, placing Orion as a constellation in the sky with her dog Sirius to accompany him. In another version, we are told that Artemis killed Orion because he raped her or one of her followers. She sent a scorpion after him to kill him, later placing them both in the sky at a safe distance from one another.

Is Orion guilty of this crime? Perhaps...after all, he had previous allegations against him. It is said that Orion forced himself upon Merope whom he loved. He had wanted to marry her, but the arrangements took too long; he lost patience and did the deed. He was then punished by King Oenopion to whom he provided service. Oenopion got Orion drunk and plucked out his eyes. Orion's sight was later restored when he saw the sun, while traveling to the East with the helper that Hephaestus provided him (Hephaestus: god of the black smiths' fire and husband to Aphrodite). In yet another version, the scorpion just went after Orion, but we're not told why...probably to punish him for something.

Revenge, justice, or jealousy...

Taking into consideration Artemis status and temperament, if Orion raped one of her followers or tried to rape her, then she probably killed him. But was it 'rape' attempted or achieved, or was it mutual consent? Perhaps Orion simply threatened her virginity, perhaps she desired him and did not want to break her vow of chastity, perhaps she broke it and hated him for it. Perhaps she feared loving a mortal man who is imperfect.

The scorpion's sting or the golden arrow
The arrow of Artemis or that of Cupid.

If Artemis loved Orion and he betrayed her by seducing another woman, then she probably sent the scorpion after him. In astrology as well as in myth (like the scorpions of Aset/Isis), the scorpion is known for its tendency to take revenge. To the scorpio betrayal is intolerable, injustice is unforgivable, and there is much possessiveness in love. If he broke her heart, she probably shot his with an arrow, shooting her own afterwards.

Whether it's her brother who conned her into killing her lover, whether it was revenge for being betrayed, or whether it was to punish Orion for seducing her or another virgin..the result remains the same, she vowed to never trust and to never love again.

Artemis
Oh Patroness of women and children, harbinger of light, crescent woman, untamed one..
Huntress
Undo the vow I have taken so long ago- release me

Artemis
Patroness of Jerash in the North
In the lush green of Arabian desert
Allow me drink
I vowed to you but often broke my promise
Damned for my oath
Turned into the plough
A memory

Virgin goddess
One into herself
Complete in herself
Undo the vow I have taken long ago- release me

Like you. I have shot my heart dead in the Sea
Like you, I promised never to love again
I punished those who intruded
And turned them into beasts
But they turned against me
With their sharp teeth

I do not care for war I want peace
I beseech you, set me free

I called to you even before knowing your story
I took your flower as my own
But my soul is running dry and it seeks the nectar
So I ask of you, please release me

Let me go but remain in my consciousness
For you are the independence I seek
You are the strength and the clear aim
You are the mountain range and the open horizon
But in your grip you hold my heart,
It is slowly dying and I yearn to melt

Artemis, release me

Release me from the fear of being loved, of loving, of having an anchor
Give me back the key to my emotions
Let me cry and not hide beneath anger
To be vulnerable like a flower
Let me surrender to the embrace of love
To be light and bring light
Let me go, set me free

---
Readings from:
Encyclopedia mythica http://www.pantheon.org/articles/
Jean Shinoda Bolen, Goddess in Every woman

Challenging Tradition in a Traditional Society #1

There are some traditions that are worth upholding, but many have collected thick layers of dust so opaque that we can no longer see what was once beneath them. We mistake the dust for the essence, incessantly complaining about a'raf and wajibat, the rights and wrongs of our forefathers...but we play along to avoid ridicule and choose the chains of cowardice, prejudice, and misconception. Ignorance.

I am not saying that all traditions are outdated and useless-far from it, in our Arab culture are jewels and treasures, and I am the first to call for preserving them. But let us stop for a moment and consider what we are heeding, rather than following blindly like grazing sheep.
Sheep and goats: I am reminded of kindergarden and a song we learnt in school. The teacher would walk around the classroom singing: Ya Ganamati. And we'd respond: Ma Ma. ...Ghannou waraya : Ma Ma..and so on and so forth. Very endearing, but also very telling. We grow up, Ma Ma-ing until we reach the grave.

Death:
I walk in to funeral to find a herd of women sitting around my aunt's living room. Her husband has just died. As I walk through the door, I feel all eyes turn towards me. They look me up and down. I do not take it personally, this is the norm. Each of us is measured up: Is she wearing the right thing, is she smiling too much, is she sad enough?. I look around and see nothing but bodies, they all look the same. Some are showing hair but most are veiled. I'm instructed by my mother to greet my aunts and cousins. Ma Ma. . As I pilgrim around the room, I am stopped by women I know and others I have no memory of. Shoo, inseeteena? A kiss on each cheek, at times one kiss, then one two three...there's a rhythm to the kissing ritual, but unable to figure it out, I surrender my face. May he rest in peace, I tell those concerned. I am served dates and weak coffee, and seat myself in a chair.
Some women have rosaries in their hands, others are gossiping about the women in the room, whispering this or that. As for the bereaved, they greet and serve the guests who flow in without mercy. This will go on for three days!

I sit in thought:

When I die, I do not want to burden those I love, I do not want to cost them money beyond their means to attend to the demands of society. I would want them to hold a party and raise their glasses in my memory, remember the funny things I did and even laugh.

If a person I love dies, the last thing I would want is loads of people crowding my house. I would not want to surrounded by people who feel obliged to fulfill their duty and who probably could care less about my pain. I would not want to serve anyone coffee or answer questions about where to find the bathroom. I would not want to be clearing empty plates and making sure there's lunch to feed the mass.

If someone I love dies, I would leave the guests and run away, returning only when no one is left. But what would they say about me? Do I care?

If a person I love dies, I would not want to dress up in name brands or get my hair done (which has become customary amongst the 'velvet society'. I hear there's even a special 'funeral hairstyle' nowadays). I would not want to brush my teeth or even bathe...

If some I love dies, I would want to be left in silence, to be with the people closest to me. I would want to be around those with whom I could cry and who would make me laugh. We could look at photos of the one who has just passed, and remember the beautiful days we had. Perhaps we would sit in silence, and maybe even watch a movie.....

But maybe it's just me...maybe there's something in this charade that I'm not getting.

I leave the funeral and return to my home. I tell my father about my day. He says that when he dies, he does not want a funeral, just a burial and that's that. I pray for his long life and say, for this and more, I love you dad.

L;- in Jordan