The Pathetic Ocean

There used to be an ocean far away from here , where people just go and weap infront of it
everyday people would go and cry till the tears mix with the rain and the demons fire get extinguished by the ocean breeze, and then people would come and go after being washed away from their pain and sorrow. No one till now knows why it was called the pathetic ocean, maybe because people who go there are so pathetic to do anything but cry their tears out along its waves and under its rainy sky

There she came and took her sorrows inside her bag and went were people told her she should go,
along the shore she started to cry beside those who were crying and then started feeling the relief she missed long ago, seems like the perfect place and the perfect retreat she was looking for along the shore of the pathetic ocean, she kept on crying until the memories started running away from her head to toe and the pain seemed the only thing that was left to go and there she's crying the hardest for some reasons she know and others she didn't know. At this very moment, she forgot who she were or what she did. Just a moment of reflection beside the pathetic ocean where people come and go and they no longer feel pathetic, demotivated or lost , where the beauty of nature and the water from heaven fall from the sky to wash away all that was left behind, there she stood bare feet looking at the sky and the ocean in-front her. After few hours she took her empty bag and got her shoes on and went back home, there her past stood by the
door and asked her where she's been, she said crying in-front of the pathetic ocean.

Lemon Juice

He used to hate this moment of the day when he wakes up in the early morning to find a cup of lemon juice on the table ready for him to drink, His parents legend say that if he drinks this lemon juice he'll be cured from the evil monsters that he watches in the cartoons. He used to love how it tastes,how the sparkle of the lemon in the cup catch his eye, but he just hated the fact that he has to drink it. It's an order and orders must be obeyed. From his young child-hold he hated orders,rules and everything that would tell him what to do and what not to do like don't stay up late, you must get up early, you must get an A, you must .. you must .. A word created a denial deep inside himself. As years of life pass by, the importance of Lemon juice started falling down the interest of his parents, he no longer wakes up to find the monster free juice on the table. His rate of drinking lemon decayed heavily as he reached Secondary stage of his education from daily basis to monthly basis, he enjoyed the freedom of space he has, he no longer need to drink lemon.

"Monsters, were you kidding me and fooling me as a kid, i won't drink lemon again"

He stopped drinking lemon for a long period , until one day he caught a really bad flu and he started to realize that the evil monsters were microbes and lemon was Vitamin C that would protect him from getting infected by the monstrous disease, later in his life he would wake up early and make a lemon juice everyday.

"Dad, why do you wake up everyday and make me a lemon juice ? " His son asked him with a childish look on his face.

"Ohh son, haven't i told you the story of lemon and the evil monsters" He replied.

Incoming call

She steps into the cafe' with her right foot as she always used to do alongside his footsteps, but for the first time she steps in on her own. She sets her eyes on their favorite place beside the window where they used to curve their dreams as they watch people come and go. The waiter comes and trying to hide his question greets her, she replies with a smile "One hot chocolate ... Only one"  and she starts looking with hesitant eyes towards her mobile phone waiting for it to ring. Underneath her tired eyes lies the shadow of her past and the unforgettable moments they had together. As people come and go she starts drinking her hot chocolate and reflections of his presence starts coming and going. "You told me you're going to love me forever .." He promised her love and happiness ever after, but here she's left trying to remember a past that didn't last. She starts a flash back of their wedding, love letters, honey moon and the brick by brick home they built together. The fairy tale story they kept carving with their ink and paper seems to stop at this chapter. "Something is wrong .. " She says with a deep sigh that people around her started to notice her disturbance. why does their love no longer feel the same, Is it the life that became a burden on their back. Today she decided to visit the place where it all started where they used to meet looking for answers or maybe drinking some glimpses of their love story that were lost alongside the waves of life. She didn't tell him she's going today she simply left home undecided where her footsteps will lead her.Her phone suddenly starts to ring and his name alongside their wedding picture appears, with hesitant hands moving towards the red button she takes a deep breath and press "Ignore"

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (#)

    BENJAMIN
                  I never met my father.



                                     

74   CONTINUED:                                                      74

                                CAPT. MIKE
                  You're a lucky bastard! All
                  father's want to do is hold you
                  down!.. Out on my father's boat,
                  working da two-a-days... This
                  littl' fat bastard, "tug Irish,"
                  what they calls them. They say
                  the Irish the only one's stupid
                  `nough to work a tug. Them and
                  the Portuguese, as we all know how
                  stupid them Portuguese is. I
                  fin'ly get up the nerves and tell
                  him... "I don't wanta spend da
                  rest of my life on a goddamn
                  tugboat...!" You know what I'm
                  sayin'?

                                BENJAMIN
                  You didn't want to spend the rest
                  of your life on a tugboat.

                                CAPT. MIKE
                  Absolutely, damn right! So you
                  know what my father says? He says
                  "Who the hell you think you are?"
                  "What the hell you think you can
                  do?" I tell him. "Well if you
                  askin' -- I want to be a artist."
                  He laughs. He says, "If God
                  wanted you to be an artist he
                  would made you one." "God wanted
                  you to work a tugboat just like
                  me, and that's what you goin' to
                  do?" "Now, if I ever hear you
                  mention art again, I'll throw you
                  overboard!" Well, I went and I
                  show him... I made myself an
                  artist...

     And he suddenly takes off his shirt, pulls down his
     pants... And we see he's covered, from head to toe, with
     "his artwork," and incredible array of tattoos...

                                 CAPT. MIKE (CONT'D)
                  A tattoos artist...! I puts every
                  one on myself!

     And they look it, upside down sideways and backwards...

                                CAPT. MIKE (CONT'D)
                  You have to skin me alive to take
                  my art away from me now! When I'm
                  dead I'm going to send him my arm!
                                (MORE)
                                                       (CONTINUED)

                                                                 55.

74   CONTINUED: (2)                                              74
                             CAPT. MIKE (CONT'D)
               Don't let anyone tell you
               different! You got to do what you
               meant to do! And I happen to be a
               god-damned artist!

                             BENJAMIN
                    (stating the obvious)
               But you're a tugboat captain.

خرج ولن يعد

He never understood the meaning of how to be alive, he used to believe that everything happens for a reason and that everything just happen without us knowing or working hard to let it happen. He never stopped one day believing that life is perfect and his country is utopia, as days of his life started moving forward alongside the clock ticks of tomorrow, the perfect un-perfect is all he started to discover within himself and those around him. The bubble he used to be buried inside started leaking some air in and here he's now watching it as it's preparing for its final wish ... to blow away.He studied what they told him to study, wasted his life waiting for people to clap their hands for his life performance but they never asked him what he really wanted .. he himself never knew. His anger to himself started recently when a single accident changed his life.He was crossing the street he used to cross everyday, not knowing or not focusing he still can't remember except that as fast as a train car was in-front of his eyes, he took a deep breath and had nothing to do but to close his eyes and get ready to leave his life. Silence was all over the place, not aware what happened he realized that the car just passed few millimeters away from him. Not feeling any part of his body, he went back home. For the first time of his life he never stopped staring at the ceiling of his room and all his life events started projecting in black and white over his room's ceiling. He started to realize that all this life he's been living a life of no value or meaning and an idea started prevailing from his head to his feet. An idea that was so solid yet so volatile that it couldn't leave him and he couldn't just hush it away like he always did whenever he had such kinds of thoughts."Allaho Akbar Allaho Akbar" The fajr azzan started mixing with his decision, he got his bag ready filled it with what could make him alive for few days, left everything that could attach him to the invaluable past. "Teet...Teet....Teet" His parents woke up to his mobile alarm that didn't stop ringing, they thought he forgot it at home but something just didn't feel right as they closed his room door. They found that big stamped paper with only 3 words "خرج ولن يعد"

Sand Castles

He took off his slippers at the entrance gate, he moves and starts to feel the shiver beneath his feat up to his eyes; the moment he sets eyes on the vast blue sea. The sun is about to rise and nearly no one is as early as him to watch this view. He keeps walking and alongside his thoughts are childhood memories that lasted each summer at the same place, he could hear the horns of the past, the smile of the neighbors and the loud call from his father.

"Come here to build together a sand castle" His father's voice is still ringing in his ears and he still moves with hesitant steps towards the sea getting closer and closer as water starts to greet his bare feet. His white hair starts to move along the wind and starts to see his reflection on the water, his firm looks mixed with the wisdom of years he spent in his life. At this moment, for the first time he starts to realize how time passed so fast as the winds keep hitting his face and suddenly he decides to give up the thought and throw himself on the sand and with his face facing the sea in-front of him, he feels like a video tape is being played on his cinema of life, he starts hearing words like.

" Congratulations, you're now a doctor" 
" Congratulations, you can kiss the pride" 
" Congratulations, you're now a father"

He takes a deep sigh of pain and relief, and starts building sand castles as he always used to do as a kid, the thought that he can go back in time engrave his heart. The sun starts to rise and reflections start falling on his childish work of art, he remembers each moment now clearly. How life can seem so complex while so simple as a sand castle with all its gates, but at any moment a small amount of sea water can blow everything away. How when he was a child used to build sand castles and imagine his future,his dreams and his fears. He always used to ask questions like what would i be? , who would i marry? and how would my life turn out to be? And used to represent each question with a castle in his big sand castles of life and dreams. And here he's answering the questions he always longed for its answers .. question by question, castle by castle.

"Father, why are you up so early" He hears a childish voice in the background. yet,not able to differentiate between his memories and reality. He turns his face and see his son looking at him straight to the eyes.

"I am the one who should ask you why are you up so early" He said.

With a smile his son replies "You told me, you're going to teach me today how to build sand castles"

The Coffee Shop

He starts to look at his watch, the seconds arm is moving too slow for him, he keeps looking and looking but it's just buried in its slow motion and silent ticks. He moves his eyes towards the door, still no one comes in except weird faces he's never seen before. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion for him as every second that pass took its decision to torture him.It's already 10 minutes away from 1 pm. He wished she'd come early but seems that she won't. And the toughest assumption of all, if she don't come at first place.

" I invite you to coffee at 1 pm at the coffee shop you told me about"

 He remembers how he told her those words mixed with a feeling of hope and fear. How he stumbled upon her car door and every inch of his body was shivering.The fear of rejection was the only thing he could see in her eyes and without giving her lips the chance to reply he said.

"I'll be waiting for you" 

And he just turned his back and started walking away not giving her the chance to give him a solid reply. He starts to look at the people coming in/out of the place and with every person a heart beat mixing with a clock tick rocks his heart. It's already 1:00 pm now and as the people talk and the music gets louder no one could hear his silent looks or his worries, he starts wasting his time by counting the number of people in the place, play games on his mobile, but every single action seems like eternity.

It's 1:10 pm and a sign of failure starts to overlook his face, he smiles a desperate smile and say to his aching soul.

"At least I tried" 

He takes on his jacket carries his wallet shuts his mobile phone and leaves towards the door, at this very moment he could see her face sparkling all over the place, surrounding the environment with joy. with a shy smile she looks at him and say.

"Sorry, I'm late"

My Pen

The empty paper in-front of me with its large width and height and vast empty space between its colored lines, I’m preparing to have it filled. But, my pen just can’t seem to obey my will to write.

“I command you to write”  

I said with a loud voice coming from deep silence within, but it just does not seem to be willing to fill that vast space between the lines on my empty paper of thoughts and dreams. I understand that it doesn’t want to write as a sign of sadness to what’s going on inside my head. It keeps writing words and me at the end of the line put a full stop and then stretch a long line to erase what I wrote. It got bored from my excessive hesitation and confusion … maybe.

“Ok let’s make a deal. I promise I won’t tell you stop this time”

The words you’re reading now are my trial to persuade my pen’s ego to write, a trial to form a peace treaty between us.

“You forgot that I wrote with you all my glorious pieces of art, how fame was everywhere and fans gathered to catch their own printed copy, but forever your version was the most valuable.”

 It’s been few months now and I’m admitting to myself that am still facing this writer block, the silence between the words I write, the images that seem clichéd and the thoughts that just can’t break its cage. I understand my pen got fed-up from me trying to please everyone and not please myself with the words I want to say the most, I understand this and am trying to break the silence, but sometimes words are better left caged.

“Why stop now? I want to write you know, please don’t leave me alone in-front of this piece of paper, I know I broke my promise with you to always write and not to care for what people say, but sometimes life doesn’t go this way, sometimes people can’t handle the true words and they enjoy the clown life”

I know I promised my pen I won’t stop this time, but I just can’t seem to handle it now. I already broke my first promise. There’s a battle inside my head as am asking myself what to write and what not to write … Who cares anyway … I guess it’s about time for my pen to stop and for me to try again later.

First Dance

As i see her tears fall down on her soft cheeks, i start to wonder why they're falling. I can see people walking in all directions but i can't stop looking at her face, she seems to be crying her heart out. I try to uncover her sadness with a faded smile but she ignores me, she just keeps on crying and walking alongside the crowd. The streets are covered with flags and cameras just won't stop flashing. I start to realize that they're all crying from the bottom of their hearts. I reach for the youngest child in the crowd holding his little flag and eating cotton candy and ask him "What's going on here ?" , he just looks at me with a childish smile and starts waving the flag harder. I start hearing speeches and words that sounds so close to the heart like "La Illah Illa Allah" and a deep shiver keeps rocking me. I don't know why but i feel so light and weightless and without any understanding i just keep walking along the crowd and my eyes can't stop falling on her face. It's my first time since i knew her to see her that angry from inside, how the rage just make her face lifeless, i remember how we met for the first time at college and how eyes talked louder than words and how every word seemed to be useless with our secret language of love. The last time i called her was yesterday , still her words ringing in my ears "Please don't go out today" and i remember how i told her that for what's life worth , if we keep on living in fear. I remember i told her not to worry , what's the worst that could happen." If i die, i'll go to heaven and we'll have our first dance there" and these words ended the discussion. Those were the last words i tell her , but i can't seem to remember exactly what happened afterwards. All i remember is that i went out with friends to a protest.

I start to understand now where i am, am actually inside that dark box covered with the Egyptian flag, it's dark from inside the same as yesterday , foggy smoke and bullet shots were all over the place. I can't remember who or where but all i remember is the loud screams that turned to silence , the fire lights that suddenly turned to darkness, the warmth of the square to the cold of the soul. And here i am being held by the crowds going to face my fate. I feel warm and happy as the future start to unleash in-front of me, i see that little child holding the cotton candy carrying on what we started and i see peace , gardens and butterflies all over this place.

I take a deep breath as i start to see sounds from heaven calling my name, I urge them for one last wish, i try walking but i can't, i just keep on flying till i reach her ears and i whisper "Still waiting to have our first dance"

25 hours

He raised his hands up to the sky above and prayed God to grant him his only wish , the wish he always wanted ... It was a rainy dark night and as if the doors from heaven were open to hear his wish. His wish "25 hours" he wished to have 25 hours in his day instead of 24 hours.

At the following morning, he woke up to his buzzing alarm clock and working hard to reach the silent button. For the first time he looks at his clock and see a +1 button , feeling weird he press on it to find out that the hours arm of the clock swings back 1 hour and the button becomes disabled. He understands now clearly that his wish has come to life, he now has 25 hours a day and the first decision he took is to sleep this extra hour. After 1 hour exactly the alarm clock started buzzing once again but this time he was so relieved , relaxed and was happy to press on its silent button.

At the following morning , he woke up to the buzzing alarm clock and now he can see his magic +1 button not disabled , he decides to use it later ... so he heads to work and remember that deadline he's having and use the +1 button but still this didn't help him , he kept working all day and finally went home dead tired and slept.

At the following morning , so tired from yesterday night. he pressed on the +1 button to sleep this extra hour ,the hour he always wished for. But seemed that it's not working to help him out. He only wanted this extra hour to do other stuff than his work like playing sports , meeting friends or reading a good story. But since he was granted this 1 extra hour , he's been using it in either sleeping or working.

At the following morning , he woke up , headed to the same place and raised his hands up to the sky above and prayed God to grant him his only wish , the wish he always wanted. His wish "26 hours".

The Watch

He was that someone, you'd eventually fear talking to. He was so smart yet underneath that smart soul lies a lonely one. His young age that seemed to be the age of having fun was different to him, he was enjoying the silence of loneliness and avoiding the bitterness of the loud company. He enjoyed drawing patterns within his small imagination and creating cubes within his soul. His imagination was beyond definition with characters creation that no one could ever imagine. He was the kind of guy anyone wouldn't expect that much to be within him, he just kept hiding beneath his imaginary glasses.

In his lonely imaginative world he created, he always faced that bitter moments where he had to disconnect from it and engage with people in reality, so he created the simplest ways of escaping that fact, that method was simply looking at his watch , yes his watch , that complicated device he bought specially for this purpose; which is escaping the crowds. Whenever he's in a middle of a complex conversation or sitting in a party or walking among the crowds, He'd just look at his watch and starts playing with its buttons. He used to play that stop watch game where he had to match numbers like 1:1:1 2:2:2 or keeps counting the minutes or the second , for him it gave him intense relief to be looking at his watch rather than looking at people in the eyes.

She was that girl that can bring anyone down,  with her long hair and brown eyes , no one was able to reach her. She was the school princess. He knew very well who she was; he actually made her the princess of his imaginary world and for him the only way to re-act whenever she passed beside him was what he got used to .. the perfect escape ... look at the watch. He tried so hard to stop himself from doing so but it was so hard for him to even do another reaction to express his feelings. The same scene kept repeating several times and still all the words were left unspoken like the clock digits remained silent, and his eyes never stopped falling on his watch.

Until the day came when he was determined to not look at the watch and look into her eyes, she passed his way like everyday and he couldn't resist but look at his watch , but only this time she smiled to him that heavenly smile and asked him "What time is it now?"

Regret

As she hears the words of her typewriting on the keyboard, she stares away and starts to see her reflection on the screen, she can see her dark hair and not so much make up, and the firm looks on her eyes with the dark shadow of tiredness beneath her eye lashes. It’s

Already 7 pm and she hasn’t left office yet.

On her desk, lies her name tag engraved with the words “Amira” or Princess but she was no princess to anyone, she likes to be noticed as the royal queen. She’s the one who’s actually in control of how everything goes here. In her royal palace, beside the certificates and medals, lies only one sign of weakness that she couldn’t give up. It’s the small wooden hearted picture frame with the photo of her son. She haven’t seen him for few months now, he has followed her stubborn path and is now following his dreams. She admits she’s been cruel to him when she gave up her family for the sake of her career glory and he’s now doing the same to her. She misses him in every word a book can describe, she feels lonely as wrinkles start to appear on her face with every month she spends on her own.

With all these images passing through her head, there remains one email she always keeps in her draft folder, an email with only two words, it’s been there for years and she regrets not having it sent long ago. At this very moment, she realizes it’s time to press “Send” to an email with subject and text “I quit”.

الحقنة

"Ouch......" he wished he could scream at the top of his voice but he couldn't, how could he scream while being captivated in her presence, today he completes 1 month and 4 continues syringe shots for his alleged disease. Looking at her face he can see nothing but a shy smile on her face. It was his choice to pretend that he has a simple disease that needs these shots , he spent days and nights wandering at the vast space and counting the stars and trying to find a way to send her his heart message , until he's not sure whether the devil or angels from heaven inspired him to pretend that he's sick and this was the only way for his eyes to be set on hers. In her pharmacy. The syringe shot day or in other words the day of "الحقنة" was like a festival, he could see kids screaming at the top of their voice from pain but it was all set aside; when she started asking him how's he doing. As he saw the syringe getting ready, all he could think about was the moment he's gonna really get cured from his real disease. After taking the shot he becomes too paralyzed to even say "Bye" but today is the last shot day , and to himself he understood very well that it's his last shot and his final shot to win her heart. Getting ready to leave the pharmacy for the last time and with pain both in his hands and heart he leaves, like the  warrior who left the battle field injured,lost and most importantly defeated. As he walks one minute away from the pharmacy he hears her voice and he feels as if he's dreaming .. "Sir .. " .. "Sir .. " he turns around to see her face walking from far behind and the barriers all broke in-front of him and all he could do is set eyes on hers .. She said in a shy voice "I made a mistake while giving you the last shot ,i'm so sorry can you pass by tomorrow and i'll give you the correct injection" He smiled and said "Yes .."

The parking slot

After a long busy day at work he's back home carrying on his burden all the traffic jams he passed through , now he's facing one last test .. finding a place to park his car. The journey for searching could take him from 1 minute and at this moment he could go and pray prayers of gratitude to God and it could take him 1 hour and then he'd go and curse the day he bought the car. He tried to be one of those luxurious people who buy parking slots on their own , but he couldn't afford it and all he could do is just envy them; carving out part of the street with their money. Some people just park their car outside the street like a street dog that lost its way; careless of the flying danger that could happen to their car, but he couldn't do that to his lovely 'Juliette' , he couldn't stand to harm her or even give her the tiniest scratch , how could he do that.

He remembers his long story of suffering to buy 'Juliette' how he nearly started living on debt for few years to pay the installment , how buying a car was his first step towards the materialistic journey of life , how could he forget the first engine swoosh, the first smell of the air freshener , the first family ride, it just all seemed a perfect dream coming true, with the smell of the new furniture running through his nose and blowing his mind away. All these thoughts seemed so clear and now he can see he wasted 30 minutes, waiting for an angel from heaven to take away one of those cars; so he can park 'Juliette' close to his home, but sadly seemed that all angels already took all the parking slots.

After some time he moved to another part of his life and with each taken parking slot he started remembering all the chances he didn't take in life that could have made him .. maybe wealthier maybe happier or maybe satisfied , he remembered this job he didn't shoot for , he remembered the girl he left with a broken heart , he remembered how he was always too afraid to say 'Yes' while the easy word was always 'No'. He started realizing that all those taken parking slots could have made him a better un-fearful person , but in the end of the day he's back home tired and still left with no place to park his car.

Embedding facebook video (trial)

Thanks go to Mina Samir

The Shadow

I know only your shadow,

It seems enough for me.

I can give it the details that can set me free.

I know only your shadow,

It makes me feel fine.

I am falling in love with a shadow,

The empty shadow of you.

Will he give up?

"So you can write?" asked the old man, it seemed as if he liked what i wrote. I can't fail this time it seems to be my last chance, it's been more than one year since i started searching for someone to support my work and it's always been the same a door closed with a smile. It takes a lot of courage to quit everything in your life to start following your passion sometimes i regret the chances that passed the other way of the road, but there seemed to be always a way through as if a light was guiding my way. With my papers in his hand,the old man simply says "I'm sorry".