I woke up to the sound of jackhammers pounding into the earth as if several AK-47s were being fired at the same time. But silence greeted me as I lay there attempting to explain what could have caused such an unearthly racket. Just as I was about to label it a figment of nightmares, a world that often blurs the fine line between illusion and reality, it started again. Always a pleasant feeling to know you’re not hearing voices and one step away from lunacy. As it turned out, construction workers had decided, nay, the city nazim had decided to dig up the neighborhood road with the promise of a spanking new one, conveniently weeks ahead of the municipal elections. Cynical but true.
The street was barely wide enough to accommodate a group of ten and had seen better times as evident by several cracks on the entrance so repair was in order. Multi-storied and towering so a person would be required to completely tilt his head, the buildings were less about beauty and more to do with maximizing the expensive piece of land they occupied. Sun managed to make an appearance around noon, when its vertical alignment ensured supremacy but was otherwise relegated to playing hide and seek like a five year old. A small electronics repair shop was housed at the front of the street, filled with corroded parts that seemed of no use to a novice’s eye but would surely prolong the life of a dying toaster or an ailing washing machine.
I walked out of the house to find the ground in tatters giving the impression a sledge hammer had been indiscriminately used by a blind man. Piles of rubble and stone was heaped in corners, unable to find a rug to hide under. As I made my way to the front where damaged seemed most extensive, something extraordinary caught my eye. A fledgling but determined seedling had sprouted in a small crack where rain water had gathered. It stood barely five inches from the ground and proudly boasted of an oversized leaf that bent the baby stem to its side. I stared at it intently, smiling and bewildered, for it had managed to survive despite all the chaos. It was a symbol resistance for whatever your cause might be.
Tales of a Solitary Soul 