~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

What is your favorite quote?

“There’s a beauty to this, actually. I like it here. And I believe I shall be fine to remain here all my life” – Brandon Sanderson

I read this quote in the book Tress of the Emerald Sea by one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson.

I liked this line because of its simplicity. Tress, the main character, silently shares her sentiment of being content. No more, no less, simply being ‘here’, in the present moment.

Contentment is a state we rarely allow ourselves to be feel. It made me think that sometimes we don’t realize how we are always wishing for more, and are never satisfied with what we already have. We compare, measure, and convince ourselves that happiness is one step away: a BMW when we already have a Subaru, a house with a pool instead of a townhouse, a higher salary when we already have a stable job, a child who throws fewer tantrums, or dreaming of a Euro trip while sitting on a beach. We don’t realize to simply be alive and to experience life is in itself a miracle.

Tress does not have much, she lives on a lonely rock in the middle of an endless sea, with little to distract or entertain her. Yet, she reminded me that contentment isn’t something that the world should offer us, it is something we cultivate. Being here is enough.

Elaichi

Green cardamom pods with some opened showing black seeds scattered on a wooden surface
~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

The scent of crushed cardamoms and saffron
rises from a simmering pot of chai,
drifting through the house
from the kitchen,
up the stairs,
into the room where I still sleep.

I breathe deeply,
the khushboo of elaichi tea
a sharp cool green
opened by heat
sweetening the air,
A smile inside my dreams.

This is how the day begins
with the feeling of home,
somewhere in Spain.

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

When it rains, it pours
When it pours, close the doors
For it does not feel nice
To walk on soaking floors

Instead, look out the window
With your head upon a pillow
Oh look, swaying in the storm
is a lovely weeping willow

After the storm has passed
Raindrops cling upon the glass
And to hold this memory in time
You stop and take a photo.

I know, that you know, that the last line did not rhyme, but sometimes my dear it’s fine. 🙂

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Book Review

Literary Fiction | Feminist Literature | Surrealism

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“I had a dream”
That one sentence says it all.

The Vegetarian follows a woman, Yeong-Hye, who makes one decision for herself and her life goes spiraling.
She has lived according to the expectations of others for so long that the moment she chooses differently, she becomes unacceptable.

She makes a simple choice, she decides to stop eating meat.
But that choice is not allowed.

Continue reading “The Vegetarian by Han Kang” →

Embracing Age

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Holding onto the old
In a new world…
Like a worn leather jacket
Over a satin shirt,
Like a vase of fresh flowers
On a weathered wooden table,
Like a wrinkled hand
Holding an iPhone,
Like a mud pot brewing
Hot noodle soup.
It is not about living in the past.
It is about embracing age,
Imperfection worn with humility,
Finding beauty in austere simplicity.
It is Wabi-sabi.

A promise stretched across distance

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

I have always loved bridges, the way they appear
More than steel and structure.. like a promise stretched across a distance.
They do not ask why there is a divide,
They simply become the answer.

There’s something deeply hopeful about bridges
People coming together to build something that brings others closer.
It is a path for the lost,
a gentle insistence to keep going
A reminder, there’s always a way forward.
To me, they’ve always felt like symbols of courage, resilience, and possibility.
A connection linking two unknowns, two stranger lands.

And then there’s the Golden Gate Bridge, a work of art!
The scarlet red, or should I say fiery orange-red or accidental “International Orange” colored bridge,
gracefully suspended in the air which looks simply striking
against the endless blue sky and blue bay on a bright sunny day.

Continue reading “A promise stretched across distance” →

Fix

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Blank state of mind, tired muscles, aching bones, a dull throbbing pain on the upper right tooth.
Living, just living the life.

Eyes on the TV, a child cries in the cradle, tired, too tired to rise
Rags on the floor
Dishes in the sink, hammering noise from outside
Living, just living the life.

Fingers shoved inside a bag of chips,
Crumbs on the blanket
The oven dings in kitchen, smoke fills the air
Too tired to rise.

No one around to clean the mess
No one to fix the life.
No savior.
You.. but you?
It’s you. Only you.
Do it, live it,
Live the life.

When you do, this time you better fucking,
Live it right.