The Great Divide

The Great Divide       By Sami Khalil

(The Orphan and the soldier)

 

Gazing from a distance, the old man sitting on the park bench, in Central Park, New York, looked eerily inscrutable. His solemnity favored a parsonage, a graveyard taker or a sleuth’s simulacrum. Although semi-purblind, the orphan remembered seeing this same man shifting through soldiers’ monuments at Normandy, where he visits every year. It was at D-Day, code named “Operation Overlord,” an invasion which turned the tide of war in a decisive manner and where his dad died fighting valiantly.

The orphaned son held the shards of broken memories together in the grit of remembrance or by reluctance of final acceptance.

Sitting by the old man, a soft smile pulled him in for it brought to mind the embroilment he had with some thugs at the park, where he couldn’t evade them, and how this gentleman disentangled the situation, saving him with a shield of heroism.

His dormant emotions of steadfast suffering in the past vanished amidst the nonlinguistic silences between the twain formidable duet, morphing into a smidgeon of numbing effect.

Patiently waiting for the blind man daily, he found solace in him, riveted by curious desire servicing his intrigue with no regret scissors’. His inner voice debated through subtle notes during the chill of the nights, rocking back and forth the frailty of concerns. The quagmire of self-pity vanished through visages of scarred yearnings, longing to afterglows of shapes contorting.

He asked the man about his profession growing up, for he held an uncanny resemblance to his dad.

He answered: “Son, I was shot by a German soldier, killing me audaciously. I wagered my life for others, for freedom’s sake. Son, you have the spark of life in you. Carry that with a spirit of enthusiasm. Have faith. Speak the truth. When you pose, reflect. Admissions have prices. Transitions are hard but doable. I’m dead with burdens, alive with no regrets. I paid a heavy price for my country. The great divide is no longer. I will be with you in the spirit.”

After saying that, he folded the edges of farewell into a final embrace, vanishing through the smoky haze.

The son was speechless.      

  

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is a great way to show, instead of tell, how someone beloved who has died can often stay present in our lives, in ways that can't be explained. I love how your always impart something significant about living in your allegories like this. My least favorite thing is that sometimes you use huge complex words when a simple storytelling style might be more suitable to tell a story from a child's perspective. I love your love of words & you use complex words well, but there are times when we have to let go of our favorite words & try using a different style which may not be our native style (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Sami Khalil]

Whoa! Thank you so much dear poet and friend for this wonderful review and appreciation. I will try to heed but I can be stubborn. Lol
Thank you kindly and God Bless. Enjoy Autumn.

[lightsong]

again Sami, You held us anxious, seeing where Your words will lead us, Your expressions like always distinguished with Your own original style, only You can paint them like this, even when the idea of Your story maybe have been told before in a way or another, but when it's written by Your pen it is finely unique.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! I take that to heart and it encourages me to do my best as you say. So glad that my readers can feel that which is part of me in a wholesome way. Thank you so much Light...

[lightsong]

I do think that Your talent is shown perfectly through Your stories, and I surely encourage You to keep writing :)

[Sami Khalil]

I will. Thank you again.

[.]

Another fine write, Sami....

This brought to mind some moments from the film, "Field of Dreams"; a son building a baseball field in his cornfield upon which ghosts of the past, including his own Father, returned to play ball. Reading your story of a son being given wisdom from the apparition of his long deceased Soldier Father is a timeless , classic storyline. That the long deceased can always return to instill hope and wisdom in the lost souls of the present is a wonderful moral.

As always, wonderful use of vocabulary in a setting filled with imagination and wonder. Very well written and conceived.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You blow me away with your great wisdom and understanding. You sum things up marvelously. I can't thank you enough. All rich blessings.

[wordman]

this is the writing that movies are made from,,loved it sami
makes you wonder what`s out there

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! So true and well understood. Thank you so much wordman for taking the time and effort. Send some read reviews please...

[wordman]

you are welcome my friend

[Sami Khalil]

:).......................

[Lydia Shutter]

WOW, so was the veteran really his father coming back to protect him? Was he but a dream? He speaks of WWII and he has seen him in Normandy....hmmmm...always thought provoking, Sami. You really are a great storyteller. I liked this one and the pastel artwork is so lovely. Lydi**

[Sami Khalil]

All true what you have said for it was like a phantom or a day dream about meeting his father who died in Normandy. His father came back to protect him and encourage him to continue the fight. Thank you so much Lydia for liking and sharing.

[Sami Khalil]

"Although semi-purblind, the orphan remembered seeing this same man shifting through soldiers’ monuments at Normandy, where he visits every year."

[Sami Khalil]

"Patiently waiting for the blind man daily, he found solace in him, riveted by curious desire servicing his intrigue with no regret scissors’."

Sami Khalil