Friday, December 31, 2004

New Year's Eve with Jesus

No Daddy to open a fizzy Champaign, no Mum to put a delicious cake with candles in the middle of the table, no Farzan to set a dazzling firework and even no Payrow, Khavar, Payman, Parviz, Rokhshid… to help him and watch the spectacle. And therefore, no mood to take a toast. Where’s She to sit beside me? Just me and the kids whom I have to entertain by making a surgery on my lips to produce a smile… And memories of the passing year.

Just few hours left to farewell 2004. Jesus Christ! 2004! Oh Nazarethan! You are getting older and older, but will you ever get wiser? Of course, I do not intend to pin all misdoings of your greatest follower on you, but everything is being done in your name and in the name of your younger fellow Mohammad.

If you are really watching me or by any chance flying around my head and laughing at our indisposition please, make a favour and be a Saviour. Save the world from the one who puts your stamp on whatever he does. The one who said: “I believe that God wants me to be president” and many believe that You made him president again. The one who kills thousands of people around the world ruthlessly declaring that “the Lord of life holds all who die, and all who mourn”. The one who gets too excited by his temporary successes and roars: “There is power, wonder-working power in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people”. The one who does not realize why he is hated by millions of people across the globe and stupidly puts a questioning confirmation: “But we are so good! Why do they hate us?” Please tell him why he is the only one who adores himself indeed and whoever voted for him had been misled by his lies and there own illusion. And please tell him that he is actually forming the very axis of evil he assumes he’s fighting now…

The year began with his State of the Union address full of bushisms. And plentiful of claps and applause by his surrounding poodles in the White House.

With his doggy eyes stinging the cameras he said:
“As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. (Applause.)”

Please tell me if a single word of him was true. He has occupied the world, as he admits, by hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, but has it created any hope for the oppressed? Is it really delivering justice to the violent? Can’t you see those atrocities and their consequences in Iraq and Afghanistan on a daily basis? Crying children, women and elderly people? Can you recall what happened in May? Exactly. The very Abu Graib prison abuse scandal which made headlines around the world and caused the biggest embarrassment for the whole American nation. They were supposed “to bring hope to the oppressed”, to deliver democracy and freedoms. And that was the way straight to American world: if you don’t like our values we will torture you naked and take your photos in humiliating poses.

How can you forget Fallujah with over 1000 killed “insurgents” and more “collateral damage” not recorded in American resources? How can we distinguish a partisan from an insurgent in Iraq these days? Which one is a freedom-fighter and who’s a terrorist? Who does define these terms? In such a case, I can call George W. Bush the biggest terrorist of the globe with the same success. That’s him who’s terrorising alongside with his buddy Osama Ben Laden. Do you remember my anecdote about 3 Bees? Don’t want to bother myself with recollecting the third one. Not worthy.

2004 was the year of prosperity for terrorism. Wrong American-led policies ended up with 200 people getting killed in Madrid in March, 300 people, mostly children, losing their lives in Beslan in September, suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkey, let alone Iraq adn Middle East. So, is it actually what “making America more secure” means? Listen, dude. If you wanna build up a strong fort by devastating the forts around, at the end of the day you will be the loser. The growing number of your foes will unite and build a stronger fortress to fight you. Haven’t you said this axiom to your fellow, Christ?

Poor African nation of Sudan lacked the precious oil and had to face a major humanitarian crisis, after a two-year campaign of ethnic violence waged by government-backed Arab militias against black tribal farmers. Reports say 70,000 people were killed and more than one million displaced in the western Darfur region of the country. So, what Mr. Bush doing then? He was scrutinizing the geological map of Sudan and could not see any lucrative adventure in that piece of the globe.

The passing year was full of political elections, but the political map has changed just slightly. The same ex-Enron adviser Hamid Karzai presided in Afghanistan with George’s Christian blessing and same George seized the power in the biggest empire of the world by ridiculing his weak opponent. Nevertheless, Ukrainian battle was a historic one for the country. The leader of the current government’s opposition Victor Yushchenko allegedly was poisoned with Dioxin in an assassination attempt before the election and as a result he’s inherited disfigured face features from the campaign. However, it seems he has won the battle and said: “Ukraine has been independent for the last 13 years, but from now on it will be free!”

When will somebody say the same about Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan or Iran?

The most painful event and the biggest tragedy of 2004 took place just a day after your Christmas, Jes. Exactly like last year in Bam with about 30 000 dead Iranians. This time it was a powerful evil tsunami (like powerful evil Bush administration) in South Asia. The most powerful earthquake in 40 years hit the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Somalia and Kenya killing about 120 000 people. Thousands more are still missing… I can’t call that a happy end, Jes.

This is when your follower and Mohammad’s siblings have to show the grandeur and humanity of their beliefs. US, as the richest country of the world, has pledged $35 m and Saudi Arabia as a biggest oil-based economy - $10 m. This is a matter to compete for, say, with Britain who’s pledged $96 m. Shame on you, Washington!

So, that would be my toast for tonight: to see ashamed Washington becoming more human and civilised, since it has seized the world power and its ruler must be wiser, Jes.

Try your magic to put some brain under his scalp, Jes. Unless you wanna show him the way out of the White House in 2005 straight to the International Court in Hague.

Where is your glass? Found it? Cheers, Jes!

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

My Fair Tsunami

Her eyes became blue for whole last three days and she left the blueness of her eyes in the depth of the sorrow of my ones. I still hear her gasps and mutters. They still spin around my ears and I see her image of Great Sorrow walking around the house hastily and searching the pictures of her brother she hadn't known she’d lost just a while ago. “Where’s my Little Mouse? Mushake man ku? Kasafat! Chera bordish az man?! You, bastard! What have you done with him?!” The words were addressed to the skies and if her anger was a wave of an ocean, it could have created another tsunami to smash three times as many shores as have been smashed in Asia recently.

The glance pictures of him became withered and squashed in her hot trembling nervous hands. She would take it away even from me, if I would try to have a look. She was cross with the world and unfortunately, I was a part of it.

But then she felt a need to hug a body and spill out her enormous grief and anger on one’s shoulders. She found my normally wide shoulders thinner, since her anguish was extremely huge. My words were useless… “Especially sentences”. Could have Jesus Christ come down on his “birthday” to cope with the grief we had? Could have he explained what and when and, most importantly, why? Why have they decided to take him away after 20 years of robbing hearts and minds of dozens of people around? He was clever and kind; he was beloved by his family and mates. So, why?!

No, he was busy. Jesus had his birthday party thrown all around the globe. The globe which had not yet braced itself for a huge disaster – a real tsunami, with a big appetite, which would take over 50 000 lives away… Much more than 3 000 in New York over 3 years ago. The US has pledged $15 million. Is it more than America’s daily military expenditure in Iraq? Are you nuts?!

However, she left. Her tears washing her pretty face, her eyes attached to the “little birds”, her lips whispering words of gratitude and love… she left. And we will miss her heartfelt laughter and merry greetings while opening the door for 3 whole weeks. May Ahura Mazda be with you and bring you back home safe and sound, my Bird!

Friday, December 17, 2004

Home, Sweet Home...

It was a greatest dream, however not complete. I wanted it so much and I enjoyed it terribly...

The holiest person in the world was just by me for a whole month and I could see her eyes every morning, blinking as a star in the sky and asking if I want to wait for the car with Zarrine or whether I’m leaving on my own or am I going to the office today at all? Her worried voice over the phone: “I’m still waiting for you, my son… Why are you so late tonight? Didn’t you tell me that you wanted to enjoy your annual leave in here? But you are still working! Come back home as soon as you can!”

As those beautiful old days, when I was in pain from the severe control of the family. The same control I’m calling “beautiful” now. I felt as her little naughty baby, the most rebellious one, who preferred to spend his days outdoors with his thoughtmates and comrades. And sometimes with his first loves… For whom the house meant a bed to sleep. It made me feel a bit guilty too, as it used to do in those far-away beautiful days and I wanted to go back home as soon as possible.

But how? They were there! The people I had craved for so much. I could breathe from the same air with 2 fairest ladies in the town who I love as much as my own sisters. 2 drops of beauty: internal and external.

I remember how I managed to trouble their minds by my stupid question: by and large, do you really feel happy? Do you really need a husband to have a complete feeling of happiness? And their answers were as sincere as they could be. When I made up my own conclusion about the level of their happiness, both of them nearly burst into tears and insisted that they were the happiest people in the world! I think even if they are not the happiest ones, they are still very happy people of the world.

However, as I told before, the dream was not completely sweet. There were moments of bitter truth in the social and political life of the country that could and did damage my mood and an unhealthy wind from London was devastating at the end of the dream.

Most of all, I missed all of them; all my angels back in London. Now I am flying to them on the iron wings of a plane with no patience to embrace each of them one by one to present my hottest and sweetest kisses.

As you see, one can never feel complete. Wherever you go, the sky is of the same colour. It is not the soil in London or Moscow or Dushanbe or Teheran that can provide you with happiness; it is about the souls on those soils that can form up your happiness… I wish they could gather under one roof one day to make my happiness full and complete!