Poetry in Motion - Whirling Dervishes

 

"Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world.
The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same.
Every wonderful sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade,
But do not be disheartened,
The source they come from is eternal, growing,
Branching out, giving new life and new joy.
Why do you weep?
The source is within you
And this whole world is springing up from it.”


~Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balhi 1207 AD
(AKA Rumi, master Persian poet and proto-founder of the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes).


Photo taken at the Iranian Souq, Abu Dhabi.

Push the boat out

 

Push the boat out, companeros,
Push the boat out, whatever the sea.
Who says we cannot guide ourselves
through the boiling reefs, black as they are,
the enemy of us all makes sure of it!
Mariners, keep good watch always
for that last passage of blue water
we have heard of and long to reach
(no matter if we cannot, no matter!)
in our eighty-year-old timbers
leaky and patched as they are but sweet,
well seasoned with the scent of woods
long perished, serviceable still
in unarrested pungency
of salt and blistering sunlight. Out,
push it all out into the unknown!
Unknown is best, it beckons best,
like distant ships in mist, or bells
clanging ruthless from stormy buoys.

~Edwin Morgan
(1920- )

Photo taken at the Mina Zayed Port, Abu Dhabi.

Capital Punishment

The Arabic calligraphy inspired logo of Dubai Bank, located on Corniche Road. The bank's mission boasts "...commitment to outstanding quality, continuous innovation and excellent execution."

Pop! Pop! Pop!

 

Popcorn crowding all around,
Hot air blows them round and round,
Yellow corn kernels poppity pop,
One after another, when will they stop?

Whirling, swirling the popcorn pops,
In a bowl they quickly drop,
Fluffy popcorn, grab a bunch,
Light and tasty, eat them crunch.

~James Hörner

Photo taken at Bur Dubai

Vertical Limit

This is the Etihad Towers Project located on the Corniche, in front of the Emirates Palace Hotel. When complete there will be 5 towers ranging from 53 to 77 floors with underground parking for 3,200 cars - Wow!

Homing Pigeons

 

"Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue."
~ Dilbert [Scott Adams]

Photo taken at Al-Ittihad Square (Cannon Square), Abu Dhabi.

Welcome to Down Memory Lane

An old photo of the National Library at the Cultural Foundation on Sheikh Zayed 1st Street. It closed around a year ago moving near to Zayed Sports City.

Welcome to Down Memory Lane

This was the view towards Abu Dhabi Island from the picturesque Arabic-style cafe on Al Reem Island in 2007. Today, it's a massive $30 billion construction site with anywhere from 22,000 to 280,000 residential units planned (depending on who you talk to).

A Boat beneath a Sunny Sky

 

A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July —


Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear —


Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.


Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.


Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.


In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:


Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?
by Lewis Carroll

Photo taken off Lulu Island.

Reflections of me

 

All that mirrors can be seen by those with sight,
Sunglasses my friend,
Cool they have shaped.

My sunnies blessing me,
Reminding me,
How reflecting me is seen to you.

My sunnies relate to many like you,
Many have seen you too,
Transcending to me.

UV is at bay,
But still we transcend.

Mirrors and sunnies are shaping some ways.

Sunnies and Sunglasses come many to me,
But it is the reflections that transcend,
That are reflecting my friends.

Sunglasses to me,
Are judging some acts.

With lifes friendships and honest eye contact,
Nothing will divide that glowing inner eye.

Sunglasses to me transcending they seem,
Frienship has an eye.

Reflecting on my friends,
Some sunnies become a guide,
Or maybe a question of who is on my side!

Reflections to me,
On sunglasses it seems,
UV light it has blocked.

Then it seems that my glasses and me are reflecting from my friends to thee,
A blessing it seems my sunglasses and me.

by Simon Hurta
Photo of me, by me!

Sea View

 

After blogging for 18 months, I thought it was about time I invited you over & show you the view from my 16th floor apartment. Nice isn't it?

Island Expressway

 

Dramatic night shot of Maqta bridge, one of only two bridges on & off Abu Dhabi island.

Ka-ching!

The world’s most expensive hotel - the Emirates Palace Hotel has just installed world's first gold vending machine. For US $136 you receive one-ounce of gold which is engraved with the Emirates Palace logo. Read the full story here.

The Fountain of Wealth

 

The majestic fountains at the entrance of the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel.

Sheikh Zayed, the Visionary

 

Photo of a billboard above a shop in Mussafah of beloved late President Sheikh Zayed. This visionary has many famous quotes.
Here's three of my favourites:

“The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones, and the prosperity and success of the people are measured by the standard of their education.”

“On land and in the sea, our fore-fathers lived and survived in this environment. They were able to do so because they recognised the need to conserve it, to take from it only what they needed to live, and to preserve it for succeeding generations.”

“We must not rely on oil alone as the main source of our national income. We have to diversify the sources of our revenue and construct economic projects that will ensure a free, stable and dignified life for the people.”

Flying the Flag

 

The flag of the United Arab Emirates with its Pan-Arab colors of red, green, white and black, first hoisted 2 December 1971.

I am...

 

I am ...
A woman
With a full heart, hidden
Somewhere in an empty room ...

I want ...
A measure of quietude, a certain silence,
The echo of alone which heals me of dreaming,
The nothing that stills the wanting,
The numb, the cold that laughs at pain;
I am
A woman,
hidden ...

I feel ...
Too much -- too deeply to be directionless,
Too real for imagining, and yet the familiar eyes
Hold nothing of recognition -- only my reflection --
A meeting of shadows in sunlit glass;

I touch ...
The downy wings of hope, in wonder,
In reverence, in need, in hunger;
Alas, it burns my fingers as a flame,
A sacrilege, self-defined ...

I worry ...
That I am alone; that in my longing
I have forsaken all -- but oh, what reward,
What smile divine should light the path to freedom --
And how can I but heed the siren's call?

I cry ...
For having too much, for fear of bursting,
And then, when by the pouring of my soul
I lie, a vessel emptied, I cry again
For what was had, and lost;
I am
A woman,
empty ...

I understand
That life is what you make it,
That sometimes, the coat of many colors
That marks your triumphs brightly, blends only
To loneliest of grey ...

I say
That we are made by life, shaped,
Broken, perhaps -- unmade and voided --
But always, the core of us remains, waiting
With only faith, with trust, to be reborn;

I dream
Of bluest waters, reaching
With unnatural hands toward the faded sky,
Of dolphins that wander in seas without limits,
Carrying me water-breathing past corals and clouds ...

I try ...
To lead by example, knowing
That merely the telling holds no power;
A gift of giving is merely a day, while
A gift of knowing spans forever;

I hope ...
That my darkness holds you gently,
That pain is halved by sharing, that feeling
Wields nothing past the words it summons,
Except that it touch you with only healing ...
I am
A woman,
only.

~Zanaida

Photo taken at Al Anka Fort, Al Ain

The Value of Education

 

"Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever".
~Mahatma Gandhi

"Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous".
~Confucius

"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival".
~W. Edwards Deming

Photo of students in the library at one of the capital’s premier universities.

The Fountain of Dreams

 

The magnificent grounds at one of the capital’s top universities.

Japanese Sakura Festival

 

Abu Dhabi is currently hosting a Japanese Sakura (meaning "flowering cherry") Festival, offering a host of cultural and artistic shows depicting modern life and authentic Japanese traditions. Although I was unable to find any evidence of these events, I did stumble upon some kiddy rides including "Crazy Fly", which attracted more onlookers than partakers. Perhaps they're just waiting for the geisha girls to appear!

Rover (from the Prisoner)

For those old enough to remember the cult British spy TV series the "The Prisoner" you will recognise Rover, a large white inflatable balloon, with a flexible skin. According to Wikipedia, Rover was an integral part of the way 'prisoners' were kept within "The Village" (set in Portmeirion, Wales)

Rover could bounce and glide across the land and sea for a long range and at high speed, faster than a vehicle or boat. Rover also possessed considerable strength, and was able, if necessary, to incapacitate people either by blunt force impacts, or through suffocation by pinning the subject down.

Photo taken at the Japanese Sakura Festival, Abu Dhabi, May 2010.

Sons of the Desert

 

"My father rode a camel. I drive a Land Cruiser. My son flies a jet-plane. His son will ride a camel".
-Saudi proverb


Photo taken at Madinat Zayed.

Don't Pick the Flowers

 

"Pluck not the wayside flower;
It is the traveler's dower.
~William Allingham (1824-1889)

Photo taken at Abu Dhabi Corniche Gardens.

Blade Runner

 

"A helicopter is a collection of rotating parts going round and round and reciprocating parts going up and down - all of them trying to become random in motion. Helicopters can't really fly - they're just so ugly that the earth immediately repels them."
- Unknown

For those interested, this is one of four Eurocopter EC 130 B4 operated by Falcon Aviation Services. It can accommodate 6 passengers plus the pilot and has a cruise speed is 240 km/h and range of 610 km. Cost? A cool US$2.1M

Park Lake Skyline

 

Abu Dhabi’s Park Lake is looking particularly beautiful right now. It’s manmade and was created in 2005 as part of beautification of the Corniche. The UAE government is considering installing free Wi-Fi hotspots here to encourage Emiratis to get more sun exposure. Despite all year long sunshine, 90 per cent of local women and 70 per cent of local men are extremely deficient in Vitamin D. Mad Dogs and Englishmen (like me) don’t have to worry about such things as we run off solar power!

I Saw (another) Three Ships

 

"Two people are out sailing when suddenly a hand appears in the sea.
"What's this?" asked the skipper, "It looks as if someone is drowning!"
"No," explained his crew, "It's just a little wave."
- Unknown

An old sea captain was sitting on a bench near the wharf when a young man walked up and sat down. The young man had spiked hair and each spike was a different color.... green, red, orange, blue, and yellow.
After a while the young man noticed that the captain was staring at him.

"What's the matter old timer, never done anything wild in your life?

The old captain replied, "Got drunk once and married a parrot. I was just wondering if you were my son!"
- Unknown

I Saw Three Ships

"Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left
port and the other was an atrocious liar."
- Don Bamford

"I want a boat that drinks 6, eats 4, and sleeps 2."
- Earnest K. Gann

"Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk."
- Sir Francis Chichester

The Fisherman's Tale

 

Fishermen cast out their nets
We all in turn go fishing
Some will use a rod and line
While others fish by wishing

Some wish for so many things
Like numbers in a line
If the line is lacking some
Next time they say that’s fine

Others fish for gossip
So they can tell to others
No escape for anyone
Not even someone’s brothers

Fishing for a missing sock
The washer won’t release
Hiding out behind the drum
With fluff and bits of fleece

You see we all go fishing
Not always using bait
Just cast a line for what you want
Then settle down and wait

By David Threadgold

Photo taken at the dhow harbor, Abu Dhabi

One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish

Beautiful, hand-painted ceramic fish pots on sale at the Iranian Souk at Mina Zayed Port.

Meowh!

 

I am the cat of cats. I am
The everlasting cat!
Cunning, and old, and sleek as jam,
The everlasting cat!
I hunt vermin in the night-
The everlasting cat!
For I see best without the light-
The everlasting cat!

William Brighty Rands (1823 - 1882 / England)

Photo taken at the Iranian Souk, Abu Dhabi

What Arabs Read

With the average Arab reading just 6 minutes per year, there's a big push in school & colleges here to raise student awareness of reading as a value for lifelong learning and pleasure - It's a hard sell!