Simi Joel

Author: Simi Joel

  • Bridges & Bonds

    Bridges & Bonds

    ‘Can you believe it?’

    Dare’s fiancé gestured wildly as she riddled him with stories of school, friends, family and pet – the rabbit she’d bought on a whim from her best friends’ farm. A year ago, she’d travelled to the states for an eight-month program, but when it was time to return, a global health pandemic struck, shaking the world to its’ core. She was back, but a day was proving to be insufficient to exhaust the pile of gist from their time apart. Some he’d heard before, but over the phone, from behind a screen. It felt different now.

    He nodded at intervals, making the right noises in response to her. He didn’t want to interrupt her flow, nor break the soothing sound of her voice as it wrapped its’ warm hands around his heart. It had been a long year without her. But the worst was behind them, she was here now, and everything was perfect.

    In the past weeks, the world has been fighting a pandemic that has caused loss, death fear, panic, layoffs and a global economic crisis. But in the middle of this, the beauty of humanity has shone through. From the health workers working day and night, to the neighbours stretching the hand of help to the vulnerable, to the city connecting with songs, and the many families dancing on the internet. These actions created stories that have connected the world in beautiful ways that can’t be measured. That’s what stories do. They connect us, deepen the understandings of ourselves, help our learning processes, protect our histories and pass the legacy of our deeds to others.

    Think about this. Who are your favorite people, shows, books and music? Then ask yourself why they’ve stuck with you. There’s always a story involved. If ever at the end of a movie, book, speech or song you’ve paused reflectively, with the gentle but definite knowing that something just moved inside of you, then you’ve experienced the power of a story. One of my favorite books of all time, ‘Great Stories Remembered’ by Joe. L Wheeler is a collection of such stories that moved me and have stuck with me through time.

    As a storyteller and reader, I love fiction. But I strongly believe that the best stories are those that we live out every day. They may not get on the pages of a book, but they have the power to strengthen our bonds, build bridges in broken hearts, and open the eyes of those around us to see love, healing, hope and strength.

    As the world stays at home, and the social norms that we’ve grown used to get suspended, don’t forget that the stories that we create right now, would stick with us and those around us. So, choose today the story that you want your daily living in this season to create.

    Stay safe!

    With Love,

    Simi

    Source: google images

  • MY FAIRYTALE

    Fairytales told me;

    That a prince would sweep me off my feet,

    But I wasn’t one to stay in a place,

    So, I must’ve missed him.

    That true love’s first kiss would wake me from poisoned sleep,

    But I never took food from strangers,

    nor did my mother let me sleep past 7am,

    So, I missed that too.

    I could’ve been rescued from a tower by a prince,

    who would scale my golden hair,

    But I lived in fenced houses,

    If only I’d met a frog, I could have broken a prince’s spell with my kiss,

    But where I come from, a bird chirping at night is a witch.

    What would a frog be?

    Fairytales told me that love happens with horses & carriages;

    Royal balls and crowns.

    But mine happened softly,

    Like the silent dawn of morning.

    So, I almost missed you, my prince.

    You swept my fears, Awakened my desires,

    Scaled my walls and put a spell on me.

    Now, every day with you is happily ever after.

    You are my fairytale.

  • Who Would See?

    Darkness, despair, doom and gloom.
    To your left and right, day and night, you fight.
    To the world you smile, but within you hide.
    You stand in plain sight, yet daylight covers your pain.
    Who would see? Who would hear?
    Sight your tears and hear your cries.
    The screams for help, that your words can’t tell.

    Glam, glitter, grandeur and grace.
    You show up as the world demands, ticking off tasks as the days pass.
    In the day, you take the stage, and at night, the curtains fall.
    Who would see? Who would hear?
    Your trembling and fears, the groans of your soul breaking.
    There’s beauty in you, yes you know, but cannot see;
    Beyond the disappointments glazed over your dreams.
    You have a voice, but cannot hear it;
    Above the noises that scream ‘Give Up!’

    One day you’ll wake, past your breaking point.
    But you’ll stand again to take life’s stage;
    Choosing that day to be your last.
    You would bow, and the applause would rise.
    Then they would see, and they would hear.
    Grief and cries, but not your own;
    Over your soul, broken to dust.

    But about that day, I pray the world never sees.
    So, I’ll rather today choose to hear you near.
    I’ll be the one that heaven sends, sharing my light to pierce your dark.
    I’ll wield my kindness to break your veil and open my arms to reach your soul.
    Darkness and despair would disappear; then you would see, and you would hear.
    Hope would shine bright through your pain;
    Your dreams would wake, and you would live…again.

  • Blurred Realities

    Blurred Realities

    Cheers of Wins and Hails of Glory.

    Telling one that he’s done so much.

    Never asking if ‘so much’ matters.

    Tears of failures and cries for lost dreams.

    Taunting another that he isn’t good enough.

    Nudging him to give up on what truly matters.

    Two lives, Two men, on the same journey.

    Unknowingly brought together by unplanned chaos.

    Voices, Noises, Chants and Whispers.

    Blasting horns, desperate hawkers and unmoving car lanes,

    Forces each to look within himself.

    What each finds is an easily forgotten truth.

    The things that matter can easily get lost.

    In vain celebration or deep despair, life’s beauty becomes a blur.

    But with one moment of sight and renewed vision,

    Focus makes everything clear.

  • REMEMBER ME

    REMEMBER ME

    Remember me as a brightly coloured rainbow after the rain; not as a dark heavy cloud that cuts short the glee of kids at a playground.

    Remember me as your favourite hip hop song, playing on a long drive along a traffic free expressway; not as the knock of a bad engine on a hot afternoon.

    Remember me as the smile that brightens your day, and makes your heart jump for joy; not as the mournful look of a gambler whose team just lost a game.

    Remember me, not because I’m gone, but because my presence here is as fleeting as the last breath of lost wishes.

    Remember me, so that you may remind me of who I am on the days that I forget.

    Remember me.