An excerpt from THE SANDS OF KEDAR

"It was late afternoon when she saw him from a distance. He was walking beside his camel with the reins in his hand. The hot autumn sun casted a beautiful shadow of a sight she adored. It had been ten days since seeing him, and her heart fluttered excitedly. Had she gone mad or did life suddenly become more visible, more beautiful, and more wonderful. For all she knew, she might have been dead the last ten days. It didn’t matter. She was alive now, and he was near. She quickly tied Desert to a tree, kissed his forehead, and ran out to meet him.

“Kais! Kais!”

When she reached, he let go of the reins and hugged her. “Missed me, did you?” He searched her face for a moment then smiled brightening the world with him. “You look like you’re feeling better.” She had always loved the way the gold of his eyes reflected in the afternoon sun, brilliant, captivating, like the moon against the midnight sky.

“Much better. But you’ve lost a lot of weight. And the beard that’s something new.”

He paused to rub his chin before taking the reins of his camel. The black stubbles against the golden tanned skin gave him a rugged look. Against the remarkable cheekbones, more evident from the weight loss, the once boyish look gave in to a more mature man. Though worried about his weight loss, the appearance gave him a virile look. He was a beautiful man. No one could deny that."

THE SANDS OF KEDAR/ Diana Khalil

A visit to Washington D.C.

I'm in Maryland for the next two weeks and with the election season upon us I’ve never felt so aware of it, being where I am, at this place and time.  It could be because whoever is chosen in November will be living just miles away from where I am, and I’m feeling like a guest to the Presidential neighborhood.  And then there’s this sudden awareness, I’m feeling, of what the new President will feel the day he or she moves into the White House. It will be a combination of excitement, worry, and pride all in one dose, I truly believe.  If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to sleep for days knowing my decisions would affect the nation and the world. I just don’t think I would be able to handle it. (I'm petrified to injure an animal as much less as make decisions on war that would involve other people’s children.) I just couldn’t do it.

And then there are the things I’ve heard. I’ve often heard it said, that once in the White House, the President forgets place and time. His little undisturbed world makes him forget his fellow man on the outside. Being near, allows me to see a part of his neighborhood he probably rarely goes out to see. Just outside those pearly white gates is poverty, one in four D.C. children live below it. And the thing is, while he or she is eating his filet mignon or whatever the cook is serving in the White House, his neighbor’s child will go hungry.  I often think, there should be four White Houses around the nation(one in the north, one in the south, one in the west, and one in the east) so the President can see and feel everyone. But that is wishful thinking. He’ll get enough briefings, or so I’ve heard, about what’s going on. Hopefully, that will help.

But this is all beside the point. I just feel excited about being in D.C. at this time of year. I get to see a lot of snow, a lot of national history, and a lot of museums. And most of all, election season is in the air. I've never felt this close to it. (Triangle Historic District. Washington, D.C.)