Yemen [Archives:2005/859/Community]

By Ayesha Badheeb
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A pool of blackness

Is all I see

Wondering eyes

All staring at me

Who is this foreign person?

They wonder

What are they staring at?

I ponder

With a language so different

And a face so foreign

Questioning glances

Are ever so common

In a country so different

And 'civilisation' miles apart

I stand in confusion

Not knowing where to start

Filth and grit

Everywhere

Black thick smoke

Polluting the air

Mountains in the horizon

Towering ever so bold

Crumbling buildings

Centuries old

Rocky desserts

And barren land

Camels and mirages

And every coloured sand

Men with qat in their mouths

Chewing away like goats

Wearing jambiahs

Turbans and coats

Ladies in black

Covered from head to toe

How do they recognise each other

How do they know?

But with a slit for their eyes

Which is all I can see

How ARRRE you?

They come up to ask me

With a smile on my face

We try to communicate

With hands and legs

Whatever it takes

Everyone around

Caring for one another

Embracing each other

Like one's own brother

The warmth of the people

Overcomes it all

Knowing they'll always be there

To pick you up when you fall

Without realising it

I start to care

Even with all the horridness

That I have to bear

The feeling of familiarity

Creeps up behind me

And the country starts to grow on me

Slowly but surely
——
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