By: Aliaa Fathy
Here we are returning alone once again, as we have returned many times before. The same places, the same scenes, are repeated, but this time, we return to them alone. Yesterday, we visited them in the company of those we loved, those we socialized with and made unforgettable memories with. And today, we parted ways, returning to these places alone.
The places now hold beautiful memories, but they are gone and will never return. We used to laugh, we used to grieve, we used to talk, we used to share our worries and joys, we used to suffer and rejoice together. Our souls were connected, we felt each other without the need to speak, our shoulders supported us, our hearts were one, our feelings were unified, and our safety was in their presence.
There was no room for fear or anxiety. We used to find comfort in each other, finding what we lacked in others. Now, all that remains is solitude, a harsh feeling, as if the walls themselves speak of memories. Every corner and every place reminds us: Here we ran, here we cried,
here we suffered, here we laughed heartily, here we drank our coffee, here we played… and so on.
We lived and made so many memories that they vanished and became mere memories. The separations multiplied, the departures repeated, the faces we bid farewell to varied, the disappointments varied, and the memories multiplied… Even the places became empty, carrying the echo of estrangement. We grew accustomed to the scene, the farewell, the end, and the same feeling.
We grew accustomed to everything.
As if they were just passing stations, but they never were. We had homelands once that took from us hearts, souls, times, feelings.. a lot and a lot.
Now, here and in the same places, something is missing. We are missing those who were once with us, and without them, the places have become desolate.
We are missing life, love, and security. Why are our hearts so fragile?
Why do we suffer so deeply? And why do we love it so much.. to the point of pain and longing?
