Anywhere the wind blows

Here they were , praised by the crowd , acclaimed for their conquests. The heroes of the
Mediterranean , the children of the sea received ceaseless standing ovations , cacophonies
of cheering , discordant symphonies of voices . Valiant warriors, they swayed the oceans ,
overcame nature’s most feared atrocities, set foot on remote territories but above all gave
to life its meaning. The soldiers have recently defeated their dreadful enemy , the agelast
and hideous monster of the sea , which supposedly went extinct a century ago. Legend has
it that the creature was unstoppable , invincible , indeed , as a chameleon , it molted and
transitioned into humanity’s greatest fears , in its deepest and darkest nightmares in a
matter of seconds. Phoenicians knew that their land was treacherous, surrounded by
unrevealed hazards , by phenomenal factors , divine forces and that settlements were not
only bound to be buried but also devoured by water. However, seizing life in its moment
was among the population’s most prominent mantras. In fact, Feasts were often held by
affluent traders or head of ports alongside with the townspeople. The banquet was
considered to be a jumble of positions , social classes , confessions , nonetheless , feelings of
tolerance and sharing aroused from these meetings. Greetings were made , tributes were
dedicated to the heroes and compliments were addressed to the guests. Hands were either
clapping or tapping on darbukas and doumbeks, dancers waltzed to the rhythm of zaffas ,
grins were drawn on wrinkled faces , children rushed to the sweets displayed in mountains ,
gorging their drooled and watering mouths with stuffed pastries, sugar syrup and spiced
puddings. While the scents of orange blossom and rose water reigned , an unprecedented
apprehension roamed in the venue. A din of brouhaha settled , thus , the leaders concluded
the possible return or even resurrection of the beast. Abruptly, steps began to resonate in
the alleys to the sound of the instruments, as a meticulously orchestrated opera. The
execution seemed harmonious to all that the citizens galloped impetuously towards the
patio . One would believe that Arabian horses are endowed with great stamina thus can be
considered unassailable in the face of the mistral of their destiny , nevertheless, the horizon
bowed to its daunting majesty of the sea. A sinister wheeze propelled the souls out of their
entities, shattered the castles, ravaged the fields , tore the monuments down , knocked the
bridges down and scarred the population. Toddlers crawled in vain to their late folks, limbs
and joints similar to basalt littered the paths , wine turned into gore, clouds stumbled upon
one another forming nymphs in order to shower the city, the port crumbled in pieces ,
yielding its soil to a subsequent and eventual cemetery. It was an apocalypse. An absolutely
horrendous delirium. Not a light , a flame in the city. Beirut was in complete agony,
somewhere in between the arch of life and the rock of death. She had to be covered in
shroud , in the linen of frailty. The mourning was arduous , sorrow and sore. Elegies were
pronounced to the knell of bells whose sound resounded in the valley of the unconscious.
Citizens will everlastingly pray for a spark, a gleam of hope whose presence will announce
the birth or even arousal from the ashes of the phoenix , while hovering over their land ,
may drop a scarlet feather apt to sweep away the indelible scars engraved in Beirut’s heart.