Last Night in Lebanon


With the night sky as the world, and the celestials as nations, Lebanon was a star, on which I found myself. How and when I landed there, remains a mystery. I was escalating a steep mountain side, somewhere in this nation.
Seeking the way from a young man who spoke Kamba, weirdness was mapped squarely before my soul.

Kambas littered this Lebanese highland. Afterward, I recall not, how I parted with the young man and began seeking shelter from an elderly man. There's some home he referred me to, that I recall not. The man spoke Kamba, too.
Throughout, I saw no Arab. Nor any Jew.

I went on to talk to a young Kamba lady, in the land of pines. How far is Beirut. Just a hundred. A hundred what? Dinar, she said. I don't know if they use Dinar. Is the Dinar used here, really? Ah, confusing! Is this Ararat? She said yes. How far are we from where Noah's ark landed? Not so far, somewhere just yonder. But is Mount Ararat really in Lebanon? Perplexity clothed my soul.

I remembered that home– Machakos, Kenya– was overwhelming miles away. How did I land here? Why? And who will shelter me? And if there's no one, how do I go back home?

It was a steep mountain massif dominated with eucalyptus trees growing on infertile ashy soil. Looking into the horizon, a vast plain lay ahead. I could only say that home is to the south west. The sun seemed to set on a rather different direction. And it was sinking slowly into the western horizon. Anxiety.

(Written in the morning of March 28, 2024)

© Sea-Crab Poetry.
(Voyager of Words)

A Recommended Read– Like a Soaring Bird by Israa Hussein.


Like a Soaring Bird is an ode to resilience and self-discovery, celebrating the freedom to rise above challenges and embrace one’s true potential. It is poetry collection from an amazing flagrant rose, which will take you through the path of childhood, triumph and boundless freedom from the shackles that punctuate this path.


Would you love to get a taste of Israa's rosy words? Get in touch with some of her poems in Magically Merged.

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