34.
his father’s death and dispersed inheritance
virtually sealed majnuun’s self-banishment
from society
thus, the desert became not only his place of escape
it became his home,
in the full sense of the word
the isolation of the wilderness became his comfort
as he took shelter amidst the searing sands
and jagged rocks
he felt more protection under the open starlit skies
than under any manmade roof
the seclusion of the uninhabited lands
became a more preferable companion
than human beings
and even the animals became his relatives
but that part of the story has not yet been reached
he yielded his place in the human collective
to become part of the wild
even people deemed any sighting of him
to be a desert occurrence,
as if seeing a lion or panther
his words and the tales about him,
which took on the feel of legends,
were no longer seen as those of a human being
rather the wonders of a mysterious creature
called majnuun
like the story a group of travelers relayed
spotting him in a remote area by some mountains
amazed, they watched him as he moved
across the sands
creeping more like an animal than
an upright walking man
out of nowhere a paper appeared
blowing in the wind
he grabbed it as it caught on his foot
he took a moment to examine it
and then ripped it in half
one half he crumpled and discarded
leaving it to the wind
the other half he held up
displaying to the whole world
as he ran around in a moving circle, yelling
“majnuun, majnuun, majnuun...”
as the stuff of legends would have it
the crumpled paper blew its way to the group
to be picked up by a man who opened it
he was astonished to see
the wrinkled papyrus had the name “layla”
written upon it in a fine script
he questioned
“if this is the one they call majnuun,
whose description he fits,
why would he discard the name of his beloved”
“maybe he has lost the ability to read”
another replied
the man,
moved by compassion for the lover’s torment
did not want him to unintentionally discard
what could be a memento to his love
for how rare it is
in a remote region of the desert
or any other place upon the earth
for the wind to blow to one’s feet
a piece of paper with one’s beloved’s name upon it
perhaps this was a harbinger
of forthcoming blessings
a keepsake the tortured lover should keep
so he approached with caution
the circling creature
and said,
“are you the one they call majnuun”
“am i not reciting to the world
what people call me”
“well, this paper you discarded
it has the name of your beloved written on it
in such a beautiful calligraphy”
“and this one has written on it
‘majnuun’”
the man was perplexed
why would a lover discard the name of his beloved
while keeping his own name
especially when the two were written together
so elegantly on a single piece of paper
“why did you tear your names apart
is there a reason behind this action”
“one name suffices for the two of us
because true lovers are always mad for each other
i am she and she is me
the forms appear distinct and separate
but we have been and remain in each other
all along”
the man confused, asked
“then why do you suffer so for her”
“where can suffering afflict
when love abounds
what the world deems madness
beholds no less clarity and understanding
in love
in love, i engage the whole of her being
with the wholeness of me
the facade is suffering
the essence is always
the wholeness and union of love”
“then why discard
the piece with the name layla”
“it is all the same
layla, majnuun
these are only facades
underneath the coverings
there is not even a face...”
with that,
he tossed the paper
with “majnuun”
into the air
smiled
and ran
away
❍ ● ❍