A Hedgehog from Yemen!
I have been living in this jungle for two years. It doesn’t
matter who I am. There are a couple of pandas here, several chimpanzees, dozens
of lions, hundreds of canary birds, millions of butterflies and there may be a
Tarzan. Consider that I am one of the animals. I am not a person and I am not
the woman so called by people around her “ Salwa”. I am no longer honored to be
mentioned under the category of “Human Beings”.
All the creatures here fly, crawl, flee like a deer, walk, or
speed like a group of moose escaping from a tiger or lion or from a hungry
hyena
At the same time while this hunting, chasing and attacking is
taking place a beautiful swan is peacefully sleeping on the surface of a calm
lake composing a symphony. Zebras mate, rhinos mate, giraffes mate, birds on
the bushes mate. God created “mating”- not bloodshed - for existence to remain.
It is a fact that- we in this jungle-
kill each other, but we kill to eat and continue to increase and continue to be.
This is the theory of God, we do this because we obey the divine law of reproduction
and existence .We do not kill for the sake of a presidential term or to keep a
king’s throne like you stupid beings do! You are called “Humans” and we are
wild animals and beasts and look what we do and look what you do? Whose brutality
do you think exceeds?!
I won’t describe you human beings as savage animals because
frankly speaking I found animals much kinder, smarter and more merciful than
you stupid beings! It is true we –the animals - eat and are eaten, but we are
fine with that. We are living well. All the species don’t become instinct,
although this daily repeated hunting. We are ruled by God and this giving
nature. Actually, it is you human beings who are endangered because of all this
bloodshed and you are the ones who might join the dinosaurs. All these carnivores
don’t threaten our kingdom nor does it make our eyes tear after any loss.
Also do not forget the merry truth which is: We are animals!
Wow! How relaxing and comfortable is that! It is a wonderful feeling. Please
don’t envy us! We have no moral principles, which make us suffer insomnia
because we couldn’t find them on earth. We have no ideals that we get self-
tortured while trying to reach them. We know no role model that we are
ambitious to follow. We have no minds that could be exhausted nor do we have
hearts that could be saddened. We don’t have a religion that we are restricted to;
we simply “love” God! We are free, literally free. Please don’t envy. We don’t
believe in a religion that swindlers come and distort. We have no identity
cards that invaders would come and grab from deep inside our souls. We belong
to no nationalism that would make us burst of laughter at the end of our lives
when discovering that it was just a big fat lie! We are not related to an
illusion so called “Arabism”, which turned out to be a monument that should
have been put on the shelf long time ago side by side with souvenirs and
antiques. Any land is our home and any sky is our shelter. We have never tried
how being homesick tastes like. We don’t know how it feels when you’re
homeless. Please don’t be envious. We have never ever - we the “animals”-
invaded a land that wasn’t originally ours nor have we ever ripped the texture
of a sky with foreign, planes striking- from the sky - the people on land. We
are pure and innocent so please don’t feel jealous. Here goes that deer running
faster than the wind, trying to escape from a lion chasing it with its pointed canines.
If the lion captures a deer, the deer will die and the lion will survive. If
the lion fails to capture it then the deer will live and the lion will find
another victim to eat. But look at you stupid beings! Just look at you!
Killing, slaughtering, bombing, air strikes , drones , missiles causing death
and bloodshed and for what reason? Just for that damned powerful “chair”! The
chair, that has, never lasted for any previous ruler. You guys are – frankly
speaking - just foolish! Observe with much respect our lion, He is the king! He
allows everyone to live and breathe. He has never stopped squirrels from coming
down from trees. He has never suffocated frogs by stopping them from leaving
the lakes. He has never caused the death of snakes , by siege , stuck inside the holes. I am not exaggerating
if I say that we are secure and we are truly living in peace.
The reader of my story might not be convinced; he or she
would ask themselves how on earth could a jungle be better, more peaceful and
safer than the life of “Me”, I am a human being ? He simply can’t expect the
beasts to be more merciful and tender than humans. Believe me, they are,
believe Me. Please don’t forget the fact that we animals when we hunt or attack,
then we are at the end of the day the so called animals. What is your excuse
when attacking or killing? I bet none of you could find a response. You know
why? It’s because you humans kill for the sake of the chair of power not for survival.
That is WHY!
By the way I haven’t been living in this jungle for many
years. I only graduated from the Humans’ university two years ago. I am a 2014
graduate. Let us all salute our honored Professors who taught us all the
curriculum of war from cover to cover. They were the ones who made us weep and
suffer. They are the ones who made children with no father or mother! They went
on instructing until they made our hearts stop beating because of fear. Until
they made us frightened inside our locked house, no one dared to move. If one of
us left we would scream. “Hey! Don’t leave us. Stay near.” Thanks to our mean,
guilty and evil Professors .They were the ones who spoon fed us fear. Today I
want to curse and swear at all the salespeople who sold our Arab homeland. I
want to call them savage creatures, wicked and aggressive gangs. It is them who
sipped our blood. They sold from the tree all the fruit, roots and even the
wood and leaves. Please allow me to curse them. Never mind, the French
language. Never mind all the etiquette rules. Those homeland dealers cheated us
and our country. They sold the precious for cheap. They stood on the surface
but their harm hurt us deep.
I tried after the war started in my country in 2014 to get
used to the harsh, rigid reality. We are no longer those embalmed audience watching
war in the news! We are now people living IT!! I tried to adapt making friends
with explosions! I made an effort to hear those air strikes as tame tunes. I
tried not to age and not to wrinkle whenever I heard a rocket and I tried to convince
myself that they were lightning and thunder dancing Flamenco . I was scared,
however, to pass away one day under the wreckage of my house. I was terrified
that the floods of my people’s tears would wash me away with the trees and
cement. However, I must admit that living within all that loss, misery,
poverty, homelessness, and dispersion were just far more than I could tolerate
or bare. My country was being slaughtered in front of all of us. We knew who
our enemies were even though the custom party. Snatching safety from a homeland
is not something facile. Actually it is as difficult and harsh as a soul
departing from its body. It doesn’t happen until dying happens.
So how difficult would it be for me? I was a woman who was more like a fish.
Since when have fish lived outside water? I want to tell you a secret, please
don’t let anyone know. I will whisper in your ear. I don’t want anyone to hear.
I was a human being one day and I used to live with humans. I escaped to the
jungle when I noticed that I was no longer breathing “oxygen” but I was
inhaling fear! Please don’t tell anyone know because I am afraid that the wild
animals would smell the flesh of my neck. I am now delighted to be a hedgehog!
Come see me. How see how happy I am! I chose to be a hedgehog maybe because
it’s just as small as me! Although it is petite but it can defend itself when
it turns into a ball of thorns like needles. I admired the fact that although
it is small but it can protect itself. I chose to be a hedgehog. I rolled down a
hill, or went down the river on a log. I swim , row in a puddle.
In times of peace and pleasure I raise my head up high. I
smile to the sun rays peeping from between the natural roof of knitted leaves.
In time of happiness I dance and sing out loud. I sing my favorite songs. I close
my eyes and remember my friends and how much I miss them here. I also brought
within me my beloved pen. I kept it on its shelf on my rib. Anytime I feel like
writing I just take my pen and gently pull a leaf and write. Nobody here threatens
me. Nobody here warns me that I could be kidnapped or one of my family would be
kidnapped and because of what? Because of a STORY! How funny, how hilarious,
how killing is that life of yours humans and how boring! You don’t even dare to
open your mouths, expressing your opinions is prohibited, you and I am a witness
can’t even write! Here I write on earth or sky. Here I write how injured I am and
I explain mu sigh. Please don’t envy! But I am not hundred percent happy and
content. Wait let me tell you about myself when memories of Yemen attack. I
stand there unarmed when the memory of my homeland “Yemen” attacks me. I just can’t defend
myself then. When the memories of Yemen attack me , when I touch them and
smell. I stand there weeping until my tears run in ditches. My tears run inside
the cracks of the land of the jungle . My tears make the cracks shudder. I gave
this shudder a name. I called it my baby Yemen. I lack for a hug. Not a hug of
a human, I need a hug from Yemen. I want to close my eyes. I want to cuddle. I’m
a hedgehog remembering “Yemen “when it rains, when it’s dawn. Dawn sprays a perfume
when in Yemen. I am a hedgehog remembering my relatives, my language, my house
and that “Salwa” eating Yemeni food in Yemen! I can smell the food. I am, however,
safe here. I don’t press my heart with my hand to stop it from leaping to the
floor after hearing tremendous explosions. I , here, don’t block my ears with
my fingers to avoid hearing more rockets racing in our sky. We became ears those
times, we became eyes!! Here in the jungle,
I don’t have to look to the other side to stop my eyes from seeing a wreckage
of a house that shattered down on the heads of the people living in it .Why? I am
willing to die to know why? I am a happy
hedgehog here. I don’t want to see anymore a finger without its hand nor a foot
without its leg. Enough humans enough! Please, enough, if begging you to stop
would make you stop I am not ashamed to beg!
I didn’t leave Yemen for trivial reasons. I left it after barbarity
became viral. I left it when death became more than birth. When all chatting in
my job ,which was my spiritual compensation in Yemen, became all about people’s death and how they
died. I have, throughout my life as a human being , neglected those who lied to
me. I have ignored those who backstabbed me. I have excused those who deceived
me. I have forgiven those who cheated me. I have loved again the few who have
hurt me. But harming Yemen? No, no, no that I can neither ignore nor forgive. This
is my homeland, YEMEN!
Suddenly I saw under the surface of the lake beautiful
orange, white and blue fish swimming. I came closer to observe their delightful
colors. When I came closer my image was reflected on the surface of the water.
I was terrified!! I saw on the surface of the lake ME! What does that mean? So, I am not a hedgehog as I imagined to be .
I felt really scared. So I am still a woman. The wild animals undoubtedly are going
to attack me. With my heart beats louder than lions’ roars I hid behind a tree.
I was so scared. I thought I was a hedgehog. How come I am still me? I then
heard a loud laughter. I looked in all directions to figure out who was
laughing. Then I looked down on the ground. To my surprise an ant was there giggling
and pointing at me. She asked me in a way which showed that she was making fun
of me:- “Now why are you afraid?” I replied squeezing my body behind the trunk
of a tree, :-“ I don’t want the wild animals to eat me.” The ant went on
laughing. I heard it say:- “ You came a cadaver to the
jungle. Wild animals don’t eat a cadaver. Listen, you want an advice from me?
Go back to Yemen, just go… because people like you don’t leave it even when they
leave it. So decide either to be there or in the jungle not to be...