Daylight begins to lengthen in the street. Today children are more noisy than usual. They started early in the morning and still play without interruption. On their heads hundreds of waving flags with the inscription "Saadet Şimdi", "Happiness Now". It will be for this? Or who knows what they think of, looking at those flags. Easy to speak of "Happiness Now" to those who live in a hovel and are just gypsies at the margins of society. Perhaps their parents fell in the trap today, and really voted for this little islamist party. That is not here to offer, but to ask, in particular their vote. But children yet not think of these things. Perhaps today really have thought of their happiness, happiness now. And judging by their vitality, it seems that they know well the meaning of this word.
For my part, now that the house is empty because the guys are all in Izmit to vote and Moritz consumes in his room the last hours with his German girlfriend before she leaves Istanbul, I have tried to live my own happiness.
I was at the Sunday market in the neighborhood and I bought two fishes, which together formed a half kilo for 5 Turkish lira which is about € 2.5. I had lunch in the afternoon on the terrace with the warm sun of the end of March in Istanbul. Then I prepared a cigarette thinking about distant people, people that I loved, all of them, people who will soon be seeing, that will not be seeing anymore, perhaps. And of people who have passed only fleetingly and already gone.
Then I returned to my room and have welcomed the new curtains that I mounted to the window, hung on a structure that is based on a mysterious architectural law.
It was not easy to set the structure to the wall because the wall has proved brittle and nails did not want to be set. Once purchased the tents, I noticed that they do not agree with the structure, so I owed a tie with small pieces of rope. Once hung on the bar, I realized that they were too heavy and the bar bended dangerously. Then I set another nail to the wall (which is there almost by a miracle) and I tied a rope to the nail so that the bar now is supported by the rope hanging on the nail. It's a completely crazy thing, but the structure seems to hold well now.
Children are still yelling on the street. Today my task is to practise contrabass. But perhaps before I will read some of Paolo Rumiz page that tells me of distant lands, but which are now so close.
I do not expect happiness to come, and even there is someone that can promise me happiness, especially if a political party. The happiness is already here, now, and I wait until the rest arrive!
For my part, now that the house is empty because the guys are all in Izmit to vote and Moritz consumes in his room the last hours with his German girlfriend before she leaves Istanbul, I have tried to live my own happiness.
I was at the Sunday market in the neighborhood and I bought two fishes, which together formed a half kilo for 5 Turkish lira which is about € 2.5. I had lunch in the afternoon on the terrace with the warm sun of the end of March in Istanbul. Then I prepared a cigarette thinking about distant people, people that I loved, all of them, people who will soon be seeing, that will not be seeing anymore, perhaps. And of people who have passed only fleetingly and already gone.
Then I returned to my room and have welcomed the new curtains that I mounted to the window, hung on a structure that is based on a mysterious architectural law.
It was not easy to set the structure to the wall because the wall has proved brittle and nails did not want to be set. Once purchased the tents, I noticed that they do not agree with the structure, so I owed a tie with small pieces of rope. Once hung on the bar, I realized that they were too heavy and the bar bended dangerously. Then I set another nail to the wall (which is there almost by a miracle) and I tied a rope to the nail so that the bar now is supported by the rope hanging on the nail. It's a completely crazy thing, but the structure seems to hold well now.
Children are still yelling on the street. Today my task is to practise contrabass. But perhaps before I will read some of Paolo Rumiz page that tells me of distant lands, but which are now so close.
I do not expect happiness to come, and even there is someone that can promise me happiness, especially if a political party. The happiness is already here, now, and I wait until the rest arrive!
<<The fire that iron or gold needs,
would it be good for fresh quinces and apples?
The apple and quince are just slightly raw;
unlike iron, they need only a gentle heat.
But gentle flames are not enough for iron;
it eagerly draws to itself the fiery dragon's breath.
That iron is the dervish who bears hardship:
under the hammer and fire, he happily glows red>>.
"The Fire the Dervish needs", Rumi.
