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Anomalies, Page 2
Continue ReadingI encountered Larry (a rather tall humanoid) on Main Street downtown Lexington, Kentucky one sunny afternoon in winter. It was not feasible for me to interrogate him, as he was moving in a crowd of equally tall strange people, so we are left with many mysteries surrounding our efforts to decode this photograph. Larry’s […]
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An Anomaly Below the Mokattam Hills
Continue ReadingOccasionally you come across something which — at least in your own mind — does not belong in the place where you find it, an anomaly. While wandering the Cairo Necropolis, an inhabited complex of tombs and catacombs in the medieval quarter of the city, I noticed this bedraggled poster seeming unusual in a Muslim […]
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Ebullience, Page 2
Continue ReadingSuch jaunty enthusiasm lies beyond my emotional range; indeed, it might transcend the abilities of all but a tiny percentage of mortal creatures. I was that odd child not entertained by clowns — instead was afraid of them — finding their androgyny and buffoonish behavior unnerving. Throughout history these tramps and jesters have been allowed […]
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Faraway In Reflection
Continue ReadingWhat draws me to a subject and composition like this must be the mystery expressed. Long-suffering wives or husbands will admit they perceive in odd moments a chasm between themselves and their spouse — something remains elusive, the more so for a person we have never met. I do not know this young man […]
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Some Dancing Feet
Continue ReadingAlthough not as expressive as the human face, feet in motion can project emotion. In these two cases I think it must be joy in camaraderie; the first more abandoned than the second.
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Attending My First Khat Gathering
Continue ReadingA linguistic note: On the Horn of Africa people pronounce khat like our sleeping apparatus: Cot. Across the Gulf of Aden in Sana’a, Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula one pronounces a short ‘a’ with a hard ‘g’ in front: Gat. On arriving in Yemen I enrolled at a language institute. Western students of Arabic mingled […]
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What Was He Thinking?
Continue ReadingI took this photograph from a taxi moving approximately 50 miles per hour in chaotic traffic; the Levantine Sea forms the backdrop. May we draw conclusions after studying this picture? Perhaps the father’s life is worth more than his daughter’s life and health; or his being-in-the-world has more value than the wife’s existence, who rides […]
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You’re Definitely Not In Kansas Anymore
Continue ReadingOn your first journey beyond the Western World even routine situations will flummox you. You cannot avoid these gopher holes despite prior study and meticulous planning. If you stay gone long enough — exposing yourself nakedly and with bravery — hard experience will shatter preconceptions, adding a new and more spacious dimension to your character. […]
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