Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Goodbye Al Ain

(Adapted from Margaret Wise Brown's classic children's bedtime story, Goodnight Moon)






























In the great green oasis
There were some roundabouts
And some reddish dunes
And a picture of—














Sheikh Zayed sitting all alone



















And there were camels and sheep and goats from the souq

















And two shopping malls
And a few forts








And a lone mountain
And some dry wadis

















And henna and incense and bowls full of dates





















And calls from the muezzins echoing from the mosques









Goodbye Al Ain













Goodbye crescent moons

Goodbye sheikhs and sheikhas

















Goodbye roundabouts
And reddish dunes
















Goodbye camels
Goodbye souqs

















Goodbye Carrefour
And goodbye forts

Goodbye taxis
And goodbye marble floors










Goodbye Jebel Hafeet
And goodbye wadis

Goodbye henna
And goodbye incense
















Goodbye stray cats





















Goodbye dates



















And goodbye to the muezzins calling from mosques

Goodbye Buraimi

Goodbye desert air

Goodbye Al Ain friends everywhere