The Other Side of Me

It was a small protest, it was very hot, but we still made it. The spirit was as nice as it has always been, yet there was a part missing in every person, something that you'd lose in the wound of disappointment, a feeling that people are giving up. It was felt in our voices, in our claps, but we still made it. We had a huge flag, 120 meters I was told, that we carried to hide under its shade. We still made many people run to their balconies to see us, we still were heard, but we said our chants while wondering if we'll ever make it. It felt like another fight coming to an end, it felt like losing one more fight, it felt like we were alone with everyone against us with the losers we call politicians.  At the times of Mubarak, I didn't have hope, yet I had faith that has never left me, not even for a day. My hope is not that big today either, but my faith is filling me. I simply know that we will make it, no matter how long it's going to take, we will make it....

It is not of age, it is of soul. An 80 year old can be more youthful than an 18 year old. An 18 year old can be older than an 80 year old. No matter how much you grow, your soul will always be youthful if you want it to be. Not because you're afraid of growing, but for always wanting to be a soul that makes a difference in the world. A youthful soul is flexible, it can adapt with different surroundings without having to suffer. A youthful soul is not afraid of change, it's not a slave of comfort or stability. A youthful soul is always ready to learn, it never feels that it had enough of learning, it never feels like it knows it all, it always feels the need to know more, to ask why, not just how and what. A youthful soul is never scarred, it might fall and get hurt, even suffer, but it heals very soon with no scar that reminds it of the time it got hurt. A youthful soul is active, it wants to do things, to see new places, to work, to volunteer, to always do something and t...

I look to his face and I see hope, I see will, I see rage for the oppression that let him die. I look to his face and I don't care what he has done in his life, I don't care if he was politically active, I don't care about anything but that day. I look to his face and I see injustice... injustice to an extent that a man, just another man, walking in the street early at night would be beaten to death by a police that is supposed to protect him. I look to his face and I see faces watching him being killed and not being able to do anything about it except taping it. I look to his face and I see a scene that we have all once seen; a car accident and ten other cars stopping to help. I look to his face and I see a nation of people who'd help anyone they meet in the street. I look to his face and I see the amount of terror these people had of the police, enough terror to let someone die and do nothing about it. I look to his face and I see tens or hundreds of other faces, just...

A moon looking so small lights up the whole world. A simple smile on your face lights up my little world. A moon so far away is always close everywhere. No matter how far you may be you'll always be here with me. A moon as old as time knows all the tales of love. Inside of me, I carry our stories that only both of us know, that only make sense to you and me. A moon looking so pure washes up the darkness of the night. A love ever so white brings hope in the darkest days. I hear your voice and I'm yearning for your presence. I look to the moon and I feel you close to me, because I know that no matter how far you are you're watching the same scene. I know you can see the same moon. I feel you close, but not just enough, like lips almost touching, but not quite so.  Like breaths mixed together with the never-ending breeze. Like two hearts beating to the same rhyme, but only one is heard. Like two hands touching, but through a wall of glass. I imagine us walking toget...

Stupidity is repeating the same mistake ten times and expecting different results. Stupidity is trusting in someone who has broken their promises an endless number of times in just a little more than a year. Stupidity is depending on stubborn politicians that want nothing but power. Stupidity is fighting for power selfishly until everyone loses it. Stupidity is not learning any of the lessons, and not listening to the voice of the wises. Stupidity is letting out the anger without having a plan. Stupidity IS not having a plan. Stupidity is turning a clean revolution into a dirty political game. Stupidity is wasting the time and energy of millions without having a clear demand. Don't ask me what is not stupid because I don't know, but what I know is that it's unfair to waste yet another wave of the revolution because we have a failure of politicians who are thinking of nothing but their own benefit. I just don't see us going anywhere with what we have now. So until furthe...

No it's not OK, to have to worry about walking in the streets of my own country everyday. No it's not acceptable that I need a male companion to protect me from horny boys who are not getting any. No I will not stay at home in order to hide from boys with sexual and mental problems. No I shall not be blamed for it. No, my government doesn't give a damn about it. No, my parliament hasn't helped either, in fact it will increase it after not allowing porn websites and next thing we know, we will be raped in the streets with everyone watching. No, I shall never stop talking about it in order to keep the reputation of the revolution clean, the revolution is in Egypt, and Egypt has serious sexual harassment problems that no one is trying to solve. No, harassers should not be treated nicely, yes they should be slapped, kicked and hit, not just by us but by everyone, they should be stripped out of their clothes and thrown in the streets for everyone to watch. No, it's not a...

On January 27, 2012, on the memory of Rage Friday we were in a demonstration and stood to pray for our martyrs who died while praying on Qasr El Nile bridge. Swallows (what we call Birds of Paradise) started flying above us, only above us, not above the Nile, only where we stood. This was no coincidence, this species is only found in Egypt and was here since the time of our ancestors, the Ancient Egyptians. They have been called Birds of Paradise since then and until now because our ancestors used to say that these birds are a symbol of visitors of souls from the other world. That day it felt like the souls of our martyrs were actually with us, it felt like God is sending us a message of hope, telling us never to give up, never to forget them. This happened today again in Tahrir. Just when I was about to give up, to lose hope, God sent us the souls of martyrs to remind us to keep going. Today I felt that this message was sent especially to us on the day of the meaningless verdict ...