556. Shonkhoneel Karagar

The phrase in the title is from a poem by Rafiq Kaiser, used by Humayun Ahmed in a famous novel. Shonkhoneel is light blue, karagar = prison. The title refers to the imprisonment under the blue sky that is our life.

Saturday afternoon, I looked out my window, and saw an amazing scattershower out of nowhere. It's been very hot and dry summer in Kabul, and this was a welcome relief.

I looked at it for a few minutes, then looked inside my room, and wondered what I was doing inside. If this was Bangladesh, I would have gone out in whatever I was wearing, and at least get my hair wet. Here I was thinking, I'm going home in friday, I don't want to get a cold, and ruin my holiday.

So, I sat on my couch, listened to the rain on the tin roof next door at the guard room. Closed my eyes and pretended that I could feel the little pitter patter on my shoulders.

The cage of life is nothing compared to the one we build with the brushstrokes of our own mind.