Aisha’s Egypt: The Potter’s Wheel

The Potter’s Wheel
 
Spinning like the Potter’s wheel
Ancient days and ancient ways
Traverse this earth in cycles
 
Spinning into foggy dawn
Recycling into sunset
In boring revolution
 
Time without evolution
Spinning like the Potter’s wheel
Until the potter is gone
 
Swallowed by oblivion
Ancient days and ancient ways
Unnoticed until missing
 
Like faithful dedication
Enduring pain with patience
Or aging gracefully
 
Spinning like the Potter’s wheel
Finally the ancient ways
Spin into eternity
 
 
© 2015 Aisha Abdelhamid
Dedicated to the Potter’s wife, whose husband is now passed away –
May God have mercy on him, his family, and us all.

 
 
A few more photos of the Potter’s workshop, kiln, and pottery for sale:

 
 

 
 

 
 
;^)

Aisha’s Egypt: Where Old Ways Stay the Same

Where Old Ways Stay The Same
 
Where old ways stay the same
There’s usually a good reason
Ways don’t tend to disappear
When shown appreciation
 
Love, good manners, and kind regard
Tend to wither with neglect
Seasons change and pass with time
Transitioning unchecked
 
Until no longer remembered
Until unneeded anymore
Until with unfamiliar face
Love slowly closes the door
 
 
© 2015 Aisha Abdelhamid
;^)

Aisha’s Egypt: Duck Market Day

Duck Market Day
 
Carrying her duck perched high on her head
She’s walking her duck to the market
 
He pokes out his head to get a good look
Observing his fate, sitting patiently
 
He calmly enjoys the view from on high
While the ducks back home view his privileged life
 
As the lucky duck who gets to travel
Escaping the farm with the farmer’s wife
 
How smugly he smiles and proudly displays
His best behavior while riding her head
 
Ignorance is bliss even for a duck
Travelling the world in an orange basket
 
Carried on the head of a farmer’s wife
As she walks her duck to the market
 
This moment of fun will soon be over
Life changes like that, and soon life’s over
 
Someone will eat him for dinner tonight
He won’t return home with the farmer’s wife
 
Even lucky ducks living privileged lives
Travelling the world while riding high
 
May escape the farm with the farmer’s wife
But won’t escape fate when it’s dinnertime
 
 
© 2015 by Aisha Abdelhamid
 
;^)

 
 

Aisha’s Egypt: French Fry Farmers

Can you carry your plate of french fries
On your head to your dinner table?
A plate full of tasty french fries
Is a “fast” food in some places,
But it’s not so speedy, here in Egypt,
Where guiding a horse and tilling the field
Is the way potatoes make it to the plate.
 

Can you see yourself clearing the field,
Collecting them one by one,
From the soil into your bucket?
Just imagine your daily life
Working as a french fry farmer –
No one pulls the bag from the freezer
Without someone harvesting potatoes.
 

;^)

Aisha’s Egypt: A Heavily Loaded Horsecart

A Heavily Loaded Horsecart

Sometimes there’s a very fine line between a blessing and a curse
A blend of triumph and dismay swirling like a question mark
Whispering in the misty place between ignorance and conscience

Aisha’s Egypt: The Ice Cream Man

The Ice Cream Man

Sitting on a shady lane alongside a canal
In a little Egyptian village under eucalyptus trees

With only the rustling leaves stirring in the breeze
I hear the happy music of the ice cream man arriving

The idyllic little moment freezes in a flash
And melts like the memory of a delicious past

Like dripping strawberry ice cream landing on bare feet
Mingling with laughter and dusty childhood dreams

I hear his happy tune from half a world away
Returning like an echo of distant summer days

Sitting on a shady lane alongside a canal
In a little Egyptian village under eucalyptus trees

Sharing strawberry ice cream
With my childhood dreams

© 2014 by Aisha Abdelhamid

;^)

Aisha’s Egypt: The Olive & Pickle Vendor

This is a busy shopping area of El Mahala, Egypt, next to the central bus station. El Mahala is a major shopping hub for all of Egypt, and actually the whole sprawling city is one big shopping extravaganza. Everywhere you turn, it is crowded and bustling with traffic, people and merchandise.

We found a great little restraunt in a chaotic corner off the bus station, and had a great lunch of pizza, pepsi, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. Those pictures didn’t come out, but happily I stopped to take a few photos from the door looking into the street overflowing with vendors and shoppers.

Aisha’s Egypt: Watermelon Pyramids

Modern Egyptian pyramids are a lot more accessible than the old ones, and they taste much better, too!

Early mornings are a great time to see strange sights in Egypt. I’m happy to report that pyramid building is still in the DNA of the Egyptians, and the market is the best place to see this skill displayed. Summer is juicy sweet watermelon season, and all the vendors have stacked up huge numbers of them just like pyramids.

Mohamed and I love watermelons, don’t you? It’s hard to beat a crispy, sweet, cold bowl of watermelon in the evenings instead of cooking in the hot kitchen. When we get to the end of our supply in the garage, it means I get another trip to the city and more fun taking photographs. We just ran out a few days ago, so guess what –

Today we went to the market, bought a few more watermelons, and saw the pyramids, too!

;^)

Aisha’s Egypt: A Very Versatile Goat

A Very Versatile Goat Could Be A Great Companion!

A VERY VERSATILE GOAT

It takes a very versatile goat to sit cramped up like that
In a crate on the back seat of a motorcycle
With only her head poking out
I’ve never met a goat like this
Ours would turn into a hairy tornado
If we tried to stuff it into a crate
But look at her, she looks delighted!
Like an adorable, happy child straining to see over his shoulder
She seems to understand the street as if she does this everyday

Maybe her Buddy whistles
At the back door of her barn
And she runs to him, jumping into the box,
And off they go, enjoying the ride together
Going where no goat has gone before
At a speed no goat has dreamed of
She’s obviously enjoying it
I think they must be very good friends
I think a very versatile goat
Could be a great companion!

© Aisha Abdelhamid

Aisha’s Egypt: A Kiss From The World

Find me at: https://www.kissfromtheworld.com/en/blogposts.php?id=3241

This Photo Poem is my latest post over at Kiss From The World Travel & People Magazine. You might recognize this little shepherd boy from an earlier post, although I have repurposed it slightly to condense the text into a poem. I like the way it turned out, so I decided to post it on my new little home at Kiss From The World.

I just started writing for them about a month ago, and finally I’m taking the time to post about it! If you do not already know about it, KFTW is a really terrific website for international travel articles by interesting bloggers from all over the world. I hope you’ll take a look at their exciting array of travel related topics, I’m very sure you’ll enjoy yourself immensely! And, by the way, if you are interested in joining the lineup as a featured writer for KFTW, click on the banner image where it says, “Become our Kiss From The World Blogger.”

If you like to write about the place where you live, you might find a home writing under the topic, “Live Like A Local.” If you are an expat, like me, you might find a home writing under the topic, “Living Overseas.” If you are a seasoned traveler and enjoy blogging about the places you love to visit, Kiss From The World is stuffed with a variety of topics you can file your posts under. Writing for KFTW is easy, they allow you to post articles previously published on your blog, and it is an excellent platform with awesome internet exposure. There’s always room for more writers at KFTW, and I’d really like to see more WordPress bloggers in the lineup. We have a wonderful sense of community on WP that I’d love to see grow on KFTW. Click this link and join us!