Front door

The front door to my building.

Charlotte, NC

On Memorial Day weekend I made a trip to Charlotte to see Robert and Charity. We went downtown to eat and got to see a bit of the city the first night.

Robert and me

The headquarters of Bank of America (center)

World-famous shawarmas at the Middle East Deli

The next day we went to eat shawarmas and drink Turkish coffee at the world-famous Middle East Deli.

Me and Charity

It was really good. I hadn't had a shawarma since I left Africa.

Then we chilled in the backyard. We had some good conversation, and Robert and Charity got a break from the kids.

Backyard

A view of the backyard from the balcony of my apartment.

Robert's visit

Robert came to Nashville for the weekend. Aaron also came by for a visit. Our attempt to make Arabic tea on the balcony failed when nosy neighbors threatened to call the fire department. We had to put the coals out.

Dreams of summer madness

In San Pedro
high above on the summit of sun-baked rocks
we tasted the sky and sea,
we heard the thundering of waves,
and we screamed like madmen
at the blue infinity before us,
our shouts drowned by the ocean's roar
as sunlight burned ecstasy on our skin.

Now the same skin has grown pale,
as bleached as the snow outside my window,
as white as the frost drifting
over a cold, dead world.

Wishes and dreams of summer madness
enter my thoughts once again.

15 Feb 1996

Quote

"Of all the means which are procured by wisdom to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends."
- Epicurus

At Billy's