Hannibal

 Hannibal

Once upon a time in the great city of Carthage, it was believed that the gods were walking leisurely along the coast. Fascinated by the city and its palaces, the green mountains surrounding it and the happiness and joy of its people, they exchanged statements of praise. These eloquent phrases annoyed one of the gods, who apparently was bad tempered on that sunny day. He stopped, faced his divine companions and screamed in anger, “I’ll curse all the men of Carthage from this day till the end of time”. shocked by such unexpected wrath, they all quickly tried to bestow blessings and save the innocent city and its people. One god gifted them with courage, another gave them wisdom, a goddess was generous and granted them beauty and charm. Gods kept offering the Carthaginians with all the great deeds, but apparently the curse was strong and effective. It was destined for every son of that beautiful city to carry his huge share of blessings and yet he had to bear a faint trace of the eternal curse.

I met Hannibal, not the famous Hannibal, not the one who dragged the African Elephants to the Italian Alps. I met Hannibal, a handsome man with sharp smart eyes, a perfect Roman nose and a magical wide smile. Sitting nonchalantly like the king of all kings staring at the horizon in that balmy night. I came closer, saluted him timidly. His eyes were radiating with confidence, joy and mystery. I stuttered while he was calmly drowning me in an ocean of questions, assumptions and accusations. His face with glowing with a charismatic flair as I was becoming a bit tense, no, not a bit, I was starting to panic. Then Hannibal smiled, paused, starred at my eyes and asked, “Who are you?”.

A thousand and one graves suddenly opened in my soul, and all the sadness seeped. Numbed by unbearable pain, how could I answer that Carthaginian hero, or even hide my tears. Surprised by my agony, weakness and despair, he looked at me closely, and with a caring voice, he asked about my story. Throughout Hannibal’s dark eyes I saw a lifetime of joy, love and success, all far away, all in distant lands, and unfortunately all in previous years. Egoistic or rational, he was honest and blunt. Read my fortune, knew what will I face and simply understood the pain. Before uttering a word, he shushed me and stood up, walked and told me to follow. We walked in silence. I followed him obediently, till he stopped, faced me and said in the saddest tone,” it will never work….” He sighed bitterly and said, “believe me, it will never work”. The stars died as his words echoed in a murky sky, I gasped, escaping a bitter taste of the color yellow and trembled as he moved away.

“Hannibal…please wait” these words were never heard, these words were never said.

 

 

The journey

 I needed the journey 

I missed the road

The feeling of being lost, totally lost….

In these few days, my looks wont matter, my obligations can be forgotten, my worries and fears will give me a break, May be even my ego will dwarf a little bit. 

I’m there, totally there…..

Immersed in the moment, passing along the paths that were carved by thousands and thousands of travelers. 

My breaths merge with theirs, and my tiny stories find their place in the huge and rich mosaic of all the passers by

Lonely? Never alone? Not even a single moment. I carry my beloved with me, they guard me, I even see their faces reflected on other people, the strangers whom we will never meet again. 

I needed the journey

I missed the road 

I longed to meet me again 

Your silence

                            

 They say some men are gifted with words, but you are gifted with silence. Your silence, what a mixture of wisdom, indifference and aggression! May be it’s your way to stop the marching  of my already defeated army.
 I know that I should surrender, I should have surrendered more than a decade ago. Yet the half hero that I failed to be, became addicted to grief, pain and despair. Is my salvation tied to your presence or disappearance, your words or silence?
Am I destined to decipher your silence, calculate the long, boring  and humiliating intervals between your few words?
You refused the throne, the crown and all the praise I could say, you refused everything but kept that strong mysterious thread of silence. 

Here I am, sitting alone, recalling your few words, remembering the sarcasm, the criticism and the accusations with a delusional mind. 

Here I am, sitting alone, lost in an eternal grey hue, somewhere far from purity yet not that close from the darkness of sins.

Here I am, sitting alone, dreaming of a different beginning, a new chance or even another life.

An angel?

 Everything started by his smile, the childish smile that revealed how handsome this young man was. The sun shined from his eyes, the beautiful almond shaped eyes that were guarded by faint wrinkles. These wrinkles and a dozen of grey hairs dispersed on his beard gave him a mannish look. An irresistible look. 

Innocence? Did I tell you how innocent he is? Wait till you hear his voice.... a happy melody where very few melancholic tunes hid. 

Kindness? believe me he is the kindest man on earth. His Caring gazes and tender grimaces haunt you for a thousand night. 

Once I laughed and told him that he was too good to be real. He blushed, answered with one of his charming smiles, and left me in utter despair. 

An angel.... a prince.... or someone like no other.... a mirage or a dream.....may be one day I will be able to say! 

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