LIFE AS IT IS

I looked into the distance From the top of the mountain And I saw the port's yellow lights, Blinking and flickering, Blinking and flickering Like four fireflies in a jar. © Wara Karim 

I looked at the heaven above, And I saw an indigo stole.  Even with five rhinestones missing, Threads hanging loose,  And small rips here and there, It was the prettiest stole  I had ever seen.  A thunder strikes.  The pretty stole begins to descend, Descend on me... To keep me warm till eternity. © Wara Karim

I was at a clinic yesterday morning for my annual health screening. The first person I talked to was the front desk receptionist, a woman whose head was covered in hijab. She looked biracial to me (African American + European American). The doctor who saw me was a young Pakistani American woman, also in hijab. She said she was born in Pakistan but grew up in the US. Last year, a European American doctor saw me during my physical. I didn’t know she was a Muslim until she said “Ass alamualaikum” to me before leaving the room at the end of the physical. I was surprised! She said both she and her husband converted to Islam more than a decade ago - both of them were students at the time of their conversion.  Anyway, from the clinic we went to the nearby Dunkin Donuts to grab some sandwiches - the young lady who took my order was a Bangladeshi. The middle-aged man who handed me our sandwiches was a Bangladeshi, too. Bangladeshi and Muslim.  My OB/GYN (Obstetrician/Gynecol...

A pinch of tolerance, a dash of respect, a bit of openness, and a handful of love. Mix, and you have the potion to make this world a better place to live! Now, drink up, please. © Wara Karim 

I thought it was easier to love than to hate. The truth is, hatred comes more easily to the human heart.  I thought all lives were precious. The truth is, some lives are more precious than others. I thought religions brought peace and harmony. The truth is, to many, religion is only a tool to spread tyranny. What a fool I was to believe in things that are untrue! But I would rather be a fool and believe in good things Than be a disbeliever of human goodness.  © Wara Karim

I was at an urgent care centre on a November morning following a severe allergic reaction to some cough medication I took the night before. It was 8 a.m. and after filling out some forms, I was sitting in the waiting area, waiting to be called. As a woman walked through the front door, I nonchalantly looked up at her. I was not at all expecting to see something that I never saw before, but I did.  The woman, who was Caucasian, appeared to be in her 40s, and had a split lower lip and a black eye, which she tried to cover with her hair. I had seen victims of abuse and domestic violence in pictures and videos before, but it was the first time I saw one in real life.  I did not look at her twice though. She was clearly in a lot of mental and physical pain and I didn't want to add to her discomfort. But I was breaking inside. I felt like going up to her and telling her that things would be better for her sooner than she thought. But of course, I did not do any of that. I wa...