Dear Damascus: the sea and will win. By: Abdulaziz Ali

Dear Damascus: the sea and will win.
By: Abdulaziz Ali .
Salim is a Sudanese deaf waiter. He is always found in Razan fish restaurant. Patrons love in him his morning smile. He reads the daily publication late in the evening .He has no morning free to speak of atrocities committed in Damascus. However, this morning ,he surprised me with a different menu. Menu of flowers- the riot of colours and on it he printed 7 letters lost in Beirut post –a poem by the Syrian poet Nazar Ghabani about the civil war in Lebanon. Beirut was tragedy. Now, it repeats it self in Damascus , the darling of Arab, Salim said smiling bleakly. In a drop of hate ,he arranged for festival. Two guests: Wilbur Smith from South Africa and Glenn Meade from Ireland arrived in his restaurant. He stroke on the iron hot, inviting them to be his guests and they accepted. Wilbur Smith is a novelist while Glenn is journalist. After twenty minutes festival will begin here ,a notice said on the wall. Twenty minutes were over. Each one of the members of the public occupied his seat. Sudanese music played on for 5 minutes. The audience has a childlike curiosity of who would be the presenter of the festival. To their astonishment, Salim, the deaf waiter went forward with a sign interpreter. First, he welcomed warmly all those present including the guests. To the audience Slaim said that he would present something from the poem of 7 messages lost in Beirut post. He started reading in the body language and through the sign escort thus went the translation. They shot the dream dead. They the shot the love dead. They fired at the love, sea and sun.
Ladies and gentlemen. Now , we introduce to you our first guest Mr. Wilbur Smith , Salim Said interrupting a tempest of applause. He withdrew with a quick bow behind the scene. "Thanks . Welcome dear friends from Sudan. With the recurrence of Beirut tragedy in Damascus , let me add another message: They will all be gone, for only in Syria the love, sea and sun will triumph eternally. Thank you again .Wilbur Smith concluded .
Salim returned to the podium to present the second guest :Mr. Glenn. He began his speech saying " others suffering cause us to feel pity . And pity makes us more human. And being human allows us to truly experience the joy of love. Miss you always and love you forever. He ended. Salim returned to be a magnet for the attention of all.
He announced that Glenn meade will give unidentified prize for a contest of powerful and melodious ululation. Some young men obviously the referees committee and a number of contending girls walked forward. Many of trilling spurted into ears like sweet water from rocks. Marayam, one of the girls who lacked the fine looks of her other colleagues had won. A voice sweeter than the juice of sugar-cane, Wilbur Smith commented. Glenn Meade finalized the festival as he said "The prize is an instrument of guitar. My guitar. I will play on it the farewell tune before I give it away to maryam. All clapped their hands. The guitar played on and then stopped. It's echo faded in the clouds of dust raised by the car that took the festival guests towards the Ethiopian boundary. Nothing was left except " ascent , a scent hat has no name, the scent of humanity as Muhammad Assad once put it.

Arabic Forum