Sunday, May 21, 2006

Here's a thought...if you're willing to listen

"He only wants you when you're seventeen....
When you're twenty-one, you're no fun"
Ladytron - 17

I'm 18 in the morning.
My childhood is over.



I have this tape from when I was small. A cartoon. A poor little boy has a donkey, who is his best friend. It's all he has and he loves it so dearly. Then one day his family has absolutely no money left, and they have to sell the donkey. The donkey was called Small One. It used to make the tears stream down my face. If anybody mentions it to this day my eyes well up.
How do you explain to a little boy the unfairness of the world? Why do the donkeys suffer for mans stupidity?
I saw this man, we stopped to ask directions, and I thought to myself, it's Small One and the little boy grown up - they were never seperated. It made me so happy, I almost cried.

---------------------
The streets of Tehran
Cheetah footprints in the snow
Icicles
Small one

14 comments:

jesper said...

Hey leila :)

So.. it's your birthday? I thought birthdays were something to be happy about..
Congratz :)
Being 18 is fun tóó, you know. I'm an experienced 18-year-old now and it's alright. Not much difference from 17. Yeh, you can order wiskey, get into more clubs and drive a car. That's about it.

Leila said...

Thanks! I'm happy in real life - too happy! And sad on my blog. You gotta have a balance, you know! I had my first legal drink this morning :)

Sling said...

Hope you have a happy birthday!..

rauf said...

I am not as serious as I sound in my blogs Laila.

wish you succeed in all your endeavours
wish you all the joy in the world
wish you stay young and healthy all your life.

Anthony said...

Congrats on your birthday!

Unfortunately, all I can offer you is more responsibly now than what you had when you were 17.

;)

Leila said...

Thankyou sling!

Rauf - me neither...but depends on the company! thankyou again

Antoine - thankyou and how right you are!

Laura said...

Happy belated birthday. Hope you had a wonderful time. Being 18 offers a whole new set of possibilities. And responsibilities, just as Antoine said. Oh well, make the most of it, and you won't regret it!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!!!! 18 to 21 are the best years of your life, you have so much more freedom, so many new things to try and explore. One chapter closes but a whole new world opens up.

i am to sure what to say about the story, now your old enough maybe you can try and make a difference their are many in the world who suffer in poverty.

JM said...

Oh my God!!! Absolutely one of my favorite Christmas cartoons. I still remember the song too..."Small One, Small One, Small one for sale, one piece of silver, Small One for sale...".
I get all choked up when I even think about watching it.
Anyway,your childhood isn't over. I think, I got more childish after 18. It was probably because before 21 I wanted so much to grow up. After 21, I wanted so much to become young again.

winterssoulstyce said...

happy birthday leila! happy womanhood. it's not all gruesome; there is some fun in it, you'll see.

rauf said...

We are living in an unfair world of our making Laila. Its sad. the picture of the mule and the old man is very touching. There is no one to defend the animal. Nature takes its revenge. we have become slaves of technology and comforts.
Very well written piece Laila, and the pictures created a great impact.

CE said...

Hartelijk gefeliciteerd!
Let's have a good drink to that.
Nice pictures and poem too!

Faltenin said...

Happy Birthday my friend.

Oh, and you're wrong. Childhood stops the moment you hold your own first child in your arms, not a day before.

Or so they say ;)

Leila said...

Thanks Laura and aidan

aidan - the story was a happy one though :)

angel jr - i can't believe it! someone actually knows Small One! the song...oh my god the song is the worst. *sniff*. it's so sad but is so good!

thankyou k - womanhood, gruesome??

rauf - we must have twin minds...you make so much sense to me

imemine - german? heck, i'll drink to that!

faltenin - assumptions are dangerous things...
but anyway, can't wait.
oh, and thanks :D