http://slow.writerscafe.org/Rachid The original writings of author Rachid Amrani en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1775939521 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 She used to smileA smile like the glow from a burning candleThey told her never to lose itShe could not imagine she wouldShe had smiled all her lifeIt was her markEverything that defined herThe smile and now the jobThe pay and the benefitsAnnual and sick leave.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2964185/ Ashes Smoke from the mudoven Lifts toward the sky Dissipates in the airAshes inside the ovenburn in flamesWoman picks the doughfrom the tableFlattens the dough onthe peelWoman thrusts stickinto the flattened dough Puts stick between herteethForehead h.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2908786/ The four custodians caught him in one of theirmorning rounds. The men were in their fifties. One of them was a heavy smokerand coughed constantly. The other three were healthy enough to perform theirdaily duties that the town entrusted in them. Picking olives before the startof the season wa.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2873905/ For about a mile or so there was nobody else walking except me. The sun was hot. Why I didn't bring a hat, I had no idea. It could be that I'm growing senile. It happens as you get older. I forgot the name of that first street I tried to cross, Escape Avenue or was it Run Away Avenue or was it Stick.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2870012/ At the crest of the hill there is a tree; a big tree with lush branches that provides thick layers of shade. Sitting under the shade of the tree, you can cast a glance at what lay ahead of you. You might reach a sense of ecstasy after the viewing. If you don't, then you might be a dead soul marred w.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2867621/ Fearless I fight in the front linesEndless are the booms of the bulletsIn the moonless night only death lurks in the shadowsSad is the night. Cold is the night. Lonesome is the nightDown! Down! Down!The comrades shout and yell loudlyTheir voices echo in the darkThe chief sergeant barks his ordersWe .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2867618/ You can make all the excuses you want but the point is that you left us. With your departure, you left the life you had built for years behind you. I remember that day when I came over to bid you farewell. You were in your bedroom packing your suitcase, a tiny leather suitcase your father had given .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2867617/ And then you appeared, walking down the hill, slowly and gracefully. Where do you derive that grace was a riddle I had always aspired to solve. To your left and right the olive trees, their leaves green, swayed. Yes they swayed, and watching their movements it sounded as if their branches were bowin.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2867616/ Inside thebuilding a wave of soothing warmth sweeps over youYou feelrelieved and alive againIt could be thelook on your faceIt could beall those visible scars Mother Nature had carved on your faceThe lady in uniform behind the counterShe hasheadphones and she’s ta.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2867433/ I knew him. I did. I spoke to him. For years we exchanged the morning pleasantries. Though he was a private type of person, he told me things. For instance, he told me of his love for his children and his grandchildren. Many times he talked about nothing but his upcoming visits to his grandchildren... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2864742/ I remembered one early morning my mother and I went to Cactus Land. The sun had already risen, and the air was warm and felt gentle. Along the way we passed some townspeople who were already up. Mrs. Niya was drawing water from their well and mother stopped to talk to her. The usual talk of course. .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2864309/ He could sense it. Everywhere around him there weresigns-evident signs. He could tell the wheel of life had slowed. That there wasan air of festivity. He could smell the aroma of food the moment he stepped outof the bedroom. As he rubbed his eyes and headed to the basin to wash up, hiseyes s.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2859915/ Youwake up now! Get that lantern and light it. Get moving!What isit, mom?The cowis about to give birth. Find the lantern and light it.Whereis the lantern, mom? Wheredo you think it is? Of course it's hung on the nail by the window where we hangit every night. Quick, l.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2161957/ The Savant, as his entourage of friends liked to callhim, descended Bus No. 22, halted his steps as the other commuters walked pasthim, and looked about him. For no obvious reason other than a forced habit, hefidgeted with the pocket of his pants. When he was certain that the meager sumo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2094577/ Hearrived right after the sun had sunk behind the horizons. His initial plan thoughwas to hit the town before dusk. Not that he wanted everybody to see him as hemade his way home. For attention was something he always abhorred and did hisbest to elude like the flu shot. But ever sinc.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2066930/ Theboy is one of our own, born and raised in this very exact town. As I recall nowwhen he was born, his father threw a big party to celebrate his birth, and heinvited just about everybody in the town. And he made sure there was enoughfood to feed all those guests.  A lot offood. The.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2031905/ They were lured by the scent of the belly dancers, their husky voices, their looks, and everything that made them females. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/2001897/ In the loving memory ofmy mother who departed this world on a cold morning of the month of December. Despite the passage oftime, I think of you every day and I will think of you to the day I die. To you Mother I owe allthe gratitude for giving me the gift of life; for teaching me h.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1991364/ An announcement read by a soft femalevoice came through the speakers to announce that the flight bound for Tuscamhad been delayed by an hour. Hearing the announcement, the passengers seated interminal three shifted in their steel chairs and exhaled. The look of serenityon their faces had.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1991363/ The rubber boat sailed right before dawn.The air was chilly, and the water smelled of salt and fish and whatever liedbeneath the water surface. The boat shook like an ailing body as the wavessplashed against its sides. And every time the waves approached, gallons ofwater found its way in.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1991357/ I waited a whole week before I went to seeFatima. My mother however had been insisting on me to go for days. I had toexplain to her- every time she asked me to go- that Fatima’s husband and herin-laws might not like the idea of having visitors over. Not while the brideand the groom.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1991352/ It was almost noon when the convoy ofvehicles pulled over along the street. I counted seven vehicles, all MercedesBenz vans. The visitors got off the vehicles and started up toward ourapartment. Leading the crowd was a band of two drummers and two clarinetplayers. A group of curious peop.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1991323/ A few months later.The letter arrived in the mail in May. Almostfour month after Jamila had run away from home. The mother came to our housealone, holding the envelope in her hand. It wasn’t the sort of envelopes I’dseen before. This one was white, rectangular-shaped, with a sign o.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1990696/ He could hear the voices of people talking somewhere but didn’t know where the voices came from. There was something beeping in the room, he could hear it. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1989195/ Itwas the blood this time. We all knew her health was in decline. And we knewthat as long as the operation was put on hold, her condition would only getworse. As for her, she tried to hide it. If not for me and my father, she didit for my sister. But with each passing day, the infirmity .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1983983/ The Moon Club was a small barlocated in a narrow street in the city center. If it wasn’t for the blinking signabove its door, the place could pass for a tailor’s shop. It was almost nineo’clock at night when Anis and I got to the bar. As we walked inside, a wave ofanxie.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1975506/ Alone in the room, confined between the four walls, she felt the tears well up in her eyes. That was the hardest part for her. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1972302/ My father left to the country on a Tuesday morning. As I walked by hisside to the bus stop that morning, thick clouds were moving across the darksky. Not long after, steady rain started pouring. My mother was under thebelief that travelling on Tuesday was never a good idea and that a lot o.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1963615/ The line at the bursar office was long. A score of students stoodimpatiently in line, waiting to get to the window to cash in their bursaries forthe semester. I had been on my feet for what seemed like an eternity, and sinceI was nowhere near the front of the line, I began to wonder if I w.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1958402/ A cold breeze blew in my face as I walked outside. It was already dark, andthe street lights had come on, casting their dim glow on the block. A few shopswere still open, hoping to cash in on last minute transactions. Movement in thestreet was light. A man hurried on the opposite direction.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1952217/ A week passed since Jamila had run away from home.  Yet there was stillno word as to her whereabouts. The family-her mother in particular- wasdevastated by her disappearance. Worse was the dreadful thought that theirdaughter might never come back home. The neighbors, on the other.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1947525/ Nothing happened, was my response when Anis pressed me for the detailsof how things turned out with Hakima over the weekend. “What do you mean nothing happened?” He asked in disbelief as we walkedin the hall side by side after we were dismissed from the last class of theday.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1939740/ The ride to the apartment took approximately twenty minutes. Though itwas Saturday, traffic was heavy. By the time the driver pulled over to drop usoff, the taximeter was showing 25 Dirhams, an amount equivalent to my monthlyallowance. Just what my father would say and do if he knew of my.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1936323/ She didn’t have much luggage this time. A small purse strapped over hershoulder and an unzipped bag with her clothes inside. I had the feeling sheknew I was going to ask her to spend the night. I reached to the bag andoffered to carry it for her. She let go of it and we both walked t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1922810/ He was adamant that I would not be allowed through the gate into therailway platform.  I pleaded with himseveral times and each time I did, he only grew reluctant. “Rules are rules,”he would say over and over, shaking his head. People stared at me as I pleadedwith him bu.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1919919/ “Sir, please wait until the passengers get through the gate before yougo in,” barked the uniformed man into my direction as I tried to make my wayinto the railway platform. I was not a passenger nor didhave a ticket. But I wanted to let through more than any other soul in .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1916462/ The train blew its horn four successive times before it finally screechedto a halt, sending the passengers waiting on the railway platform up to theirfeet. It arrived at the station of the City of Ax one hour and a half behindits scheduled arrival time. Nothing was posted on the black elec.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1914937/ The abrupt sound of the footsteps startled me so much that I jerked inmy chair and almost dropped the textbook on the floor. It was coming from thestairs and whoever was there seemed to be heading up to the enclosed cement roofwhere I was sitting. I was about to rise from my chair and head.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1913669/ I was getting ready to enter my room when I heard someone calling myname. The voice appeared to have come from the outer gate of the apartments building.Even my mother was able to hear it because she alerted me to the calling voice.As I hurried down the stairs to the ground level, i saw An.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1913379/ As I was making my way up to our apartment, the smell of cooking filledmy nose. I began to wonder just what my mother and sister had made for dinner.The thought stemmed only from my curiosity. Because I learned-the hard way-not to dare protest or complain as to the types of meals cooked and.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1912650/ I checked my pocket to make sure I still had the change from the moneymy father had given me that day to pay for Xerox photocopying. It was stillthere. I inserted the coins into the telephone machine, dialed Hakima’s numberand pressed the phone against my left ear.It rung three t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911775/ The blue sign of the telephone booth blinked on and off, casting itslight on the walls of the apartment buildings and the vehicles parked along theblock. Darkness was beginning to settle over the neighborhood. The children wereyelling as they bounced the soccer ball back and forth. The tee.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911774/ I watched him as he walked out of the hallway. Once outside, he reachedto his school bag, retrieved a key and inserted it into the ignition of ascooter parked on the right side of the building entrance. From somewhere, anattractive girl with a slender body appeared and climbed on the back... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911768/ On that day when I got home from the university, I ate and let my motherknow that I was going up to the enclosed cement roof to study. She nodded andreminded me to wear my hat to protect my head against the sun’s rays. I grabbedthe chair and my textbooks and headed out of the door... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911513/ The story they told was that Anis's father had evicted the tenant because hewanted to use the apartment as a nest for his extramarital affairs. I was in my room studying that day when I overheard a conversation between some of the neighbors. One of them said that they'd seen Anis's father.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911498/ A week passed since Hakima went back to the big City. I was still atshock as to whether the whole thing had actually happened or was it all adream. But the images were still fresh in my mind: Her captivating smile and her soothingvoice. The way she plays with her hair when she talks on the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1911131/ In the days that followed, an ardent urge to talk to Hakima on the phoneswept over me. So much that every time I got my hand on whatever cash I could,I would go straight to the telephone booth and dial her number. More than oncein our phone conversations, I came close to asking her to come.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1910798/ I got up the next morning to the sound of snoring. On the mattress acrossfrom mine lay my brother. His chest leaped up and down. Just what time he hadarrived home last night, I didn’t know. I must have slept soundly because Ididn’t hear a thing. But I know per mother’s in.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1898459/ Afterlunch, my sisters cleared the table and washed the dishes. My mother said shewas feeling tired so I helped her lay in her bed. Once she settled in her bed,she held my hand and said, in a low voice as if she didn’t want anybody else tohear her, “Son, you’ve gone thr.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1898455/ The instant we got home, Samir rushed towards my father. He was stillsitting on the couch with his head bowed while a sad song was playing on theradio. He was probably asleep. But as soon as Samir climbed to sit on his lap,father jerked and raised his head. He held Samir and patted his bac.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Rachid/1898451/