Studded with plateaus and
distant craggy peaks,
Tataouine sat at the mouth
of semiarid Tunisian Sahara.
As the sun bid adieu for the day,
the sand cooled off its heels
in the heart of a dry barren land.

A small flock of Barbarin sheep
made a beeline, nudging each other
kicking dust, treading back abode.
Miled’s vocal cues echoed in the air,
steering them through the terrain.
Sore in the legs yet strong in spirit,
he smiled at the thought of his umih
waiting for him with hot marqa,
made with nothing but warmth and love.

Piping hot cocoa willfully waited,
four squares of the window deeply frosted.
Ava shifted gaze from her screen
to the fine nuances of nature.
The moon must have risen
behind the dense white winter sky.
A snow laden Minnesota always
made her smile and lifted her spirits.
It was her home within home.
As she regained her ground,
the cursor blinked and stared at her.
The term paper on Sahara desert
was one word away from a start.

It’s a mighty, wide world
for Miled and Ava were oceans apart
in lush life amid rigid realms.
It’s also a small and slim world
for their musings to converge,
in rushes aboard cozy dreams.

The sun screams over the desert,
dew freezes in the quaint porch.
Sand, barren, drought, and dunes
are what Miled reveled in…
Snow, pines, shovel, and gloves
are things Ava utterly loved.

At near, from a view within
all is black and white.
One’s fact is the other’s dream.
At far, from the plane of moon
they were just part of one.
A perfect and vibrant sphere,
glossy in blue and white.

Many years passed,
Miled still tracked moonrise
for his ageing and frail umih.
Just as he tucked her into bed
after feeding her a hearty meal –
hot and soulful Lablabi soup…
A quarter million miles away,
Ava rose onboard a lunar orbit.
She was in awe seeing earthrise
in all its true glory.
A pristine giant sphere
throbbing with beautiful life.

Perhaps one’s fact may
still be the other’s dream.
Yet in joy and in bliss,
in purpose and in peace…
It was still black and white.

Photo Source: www.google.com