Our yard is a mess right now. The weather doesn’t help, it’s cloudy and cold. It had rained all night long, dirt had been washed on the walkways. Everything has turned green already and lots of it are weeds. Every year I pull them all and every year they come back -all of it. It’s a race or a competition, and I am not so sure if I will ever win.
There are writers and there are poets and then there was Leonard Cohen, who I think was absolutely brilliant. Most of us know his song “Halleluja” and while it’s beautiful I always thought that “The Window” is one of Cohen‟s most compelling songs.
“The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Apart-hate is what it was. You separate people into groups and make them hate on another so you can run them all.”
“And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.
I remember the time when I was still struggling to learn English, and how hard I tried to learn quickly. Back then the people around me didn’t dare to ask me what I wanted to do because they always got the same answer. “Read with me, please.”
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
One of my most valuable English lessons came out of a book.
“You alarm me!’ said the King. ‘I feel faint—Give me a ham sandwich!’
On which the Messenger, to Alice’s great amusement, opened a bag that hung round his neck, and handed a sandwich to the King, who devoured it greedily.
It’s times like this when we need to read about encouragement and hope the most. Let’s never give up no matter what others might tell us.
