ALL I KNOW

All I Know

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

I am a mortal;

And No mortal is perfect.

Errors I may make;

God is for me at a stone’s throw

It is all I know.

Although I have mind to ponder;

I may get beguiled.

Devil conspires to make me foul

It is all I know.

Adam made a blunder years ago;

He sought forgiveness and gave it another go.

God forgave Adam and made all systems go.

It is all I know.

Do not do good all for show;

Good and bad will be revealed;

After we go.

It is all I know.

To guilty ones paradise Angel will say no;

Your good deeds cup is too low.

Now it is useless if you bow.

It is all I know.

FRIENDSHIP REMAINS IN THE HEARTS

Friendship Remains in the Hearts

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Friendship, when relation breaks,

Remains in the hearts;

Hurts, when friends are strangers,

Life becomes empty, but goes on.

Friends, leave memories when they are gone;

Their voices, laughs echoes in the ears.

Regrets, wishes, reside in the minds,

Till we are gone, too.

The Parrot

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Characters:

Pretto = The father of Parrot

Pretty = The mother of Parrot 

Parrot = Little bird son of Pretto and Pretty 

Joe = Hunter who takes away Parrot from his nest 

Erik = Little boy who buys Parrot from the zoo 

Angel = Young, handsome man whom Parrot is sold by Erik’s parents 

Anglia = A beautiful woman who marries Angel 

1. The Parrot

At the crack of the dawn, Pretty and Pretto left their nest to find the food. They discussed the coming of their first child. Pretty said now it will not be long before their little baby bird would come in this world. She further said, “The shape of the egg indicates that it will soon hatch and let our baby bird out into this beautiful forest.” Pretto added, “I am looking forward to seeing my first child. It would bring such happiness.” While flying, they bumped into a field and came down to eat some grain. Then they went back to the nest. Pretty set on the egg. There they thought of a name for their child. They decided that they would call their child Parrot.

2. Birth of Parrot

The days went by and the moment Pretty and Pretto had waited for finally came. The egg cracked and a little weak bird as tender as a bud appeared. Pretty and Pretto were on cloud nine to see their small lovely child. “Welcome, welcome to this amazing world,” they said to the little bird. The little bird saw them and knew they were his father and mother. Pretty fed the newborn bird with her beak. This moment was one of the best moments for the parents of Parrot. They both were thrilled to pieces. Time kept passing and Parrot was growing older. The parents of Parrot took great care of him. If Pretty went for grain, Pretto would stay in the nest to look after Parrot. If Pretto went, Pretty would stay. The feathers of Parrot were also getting bigger rapidly. It seemed he would be ready to fly very soon.

3. Time to Fly from the Nest

One night the parents of Parrot said to him, “The time has come for you to learn how to fly; tomorrow we will give you your first flying lesson.” After hearing that, Parrot became ecstatic and anxious to fly. He said to them, “So, it will be my first attempt to touch the sky. How wonderful it will be!” Finally, that day came, and the three made their minds up to go in the early morning. They left the nest and came to an open ground. There Pretto first gave instructions to Parrot about flying, and then he said him to watch how he was flying and do the same. Parrot thought it was as easy as falling off a log. When he made his first attempt to fly, he fell down, he could not move his wings properly. Then he tried for the second time. Now he was a little more successful. He tried again and again and each time he performed better and better. Parrot became very tired. So, they stopped and said it was enough for today. Pretto said to Pretty, “Our Parrot would soon learn to fly.” She replied, “I think so.” Then slowly they came back to the nest. Late at night, the three chatted. Pretty and Pretto decided to go to gather grain together early in the morning, and then they would go with Parrot for giving him the second lesson of flying. This was the first time that they both were leaving Parrot alone in the nest. They thought Parrot now could take care of himself very well and could stay in the nest on his own.

4. Arrival of a Hunter

 

In early morning Pretty and Pretto left the nest to bring some grain from the field. They did not take Parrot because they wanted him to rest and get enough sleep. It was a very fine morning. The drowsy breeze was blowing, which kept Parrot asleep. The birds in the forest started singing lovely songs. The shafts of the sun entered the nest and fell on the face of Parrot and woke him up. Seeing nobody around him, Parrot felt a little scared, but he took heart. Parrot added to the songs of other birds of the forest with his own melodious voice. Parrot’s voice was very pleasant and pure. Near that forest where Parrot lived with his parents was a small village, and there lived a hunter by the name of Joe. Joe made ends meet by hunting animals and birds in the forest. 

He sometimes sold the animals and birds in a city or kept them for food. On that day, the hunter had also left to hunt early in the morning. He encountered a dense shadowy tree; it was the tree in which Parrot’s nest was. The hunter had a meal and some water with him. He decided to sit under that tree and have breakfast. While eating, he enjoyed the beautiful sounds of different birds in the trees. A sound coming from the tree under which he was sitting drew his attention. “That bird has the sweetest voice of all the birds in the forest,” he said to himself. It was the voice of Parrot. He liked that voice so much that he wanted to see and catch the bird. The moment he finished his breakfast, he climbed up the tree to the top, leaving all other nests until he came to the nest of Parrot. He saw Parrot and quickly grabbed him so tight in his hands. Parrot screamed, cried, and shouted. Parrot bit the hunter trying to escape, but the bird’s efforts were in vain.

5. Parrot in a Cage

The hunter took Parrot away to his village. He made his mind up to keep this bird at home to listen to his songs and beautiful voice every day. Parrot was in great trouble now. His wings were cut and he was put in a cage. Sobbing and crying, he bore all the pain. Would he be in the cage forever? This question revolved in his mind all the time. He had hope. He seemed quite optimistic. He thought someday he would be out of his cage.

6. Pretty and Pretto’s Sorrow

When Pretty and Pretto came back to the nest, to their surprise the nest was empty. They called for Parrot loudly but received no reply from any direction. They looked for Parrot in every nook and cranny of the jungle, but Parrot was nowhere. They were filled with the fear that he might have flown for food and become victim of some giant animal. 

The parents of Parrot were very sad and worried. They waited for Parrot for several days, but he didn’t turn up.

7. Parrot Learns Human Language

 

A year passed. Parrot was well fed and his feathers had grown again. Above all, he learned human language, the natural language. Parrot used to listen and watch the hunter carefully when he talked to him or with others, and he used to imitate the hunter. Slowly and gradually, Parrot became able to communicate fully in human language.

8. Parrot is Sold

Once the hunter Joe became so ill that he even couldn’t go for hunting for several days, and he ran out of money. He was in great need of money, so he decided to sell Parrot so that he could earn some money to fulfill his needs. Joe managed to go to the city and went to a zoo. There he talked to the owner of the zoo. “I have a Parrot, who can speak as we human speak, and I want to sell him. Would you buy it?” he asked the owner of the zoo. The owner of the zoo saw and thought this bird would be auspicious for the zoo and will be a great source of drawing the attention of the visitors. So, he bought Parrot on the high price.

9. Parrot at the Zoo

Parrot was put in a cage again but this time it was in a zoo, for the exhibition and entertainment of the people. It was almost the same for Parrot, but he felt he was better in the previous cage, because he had a peaceful atmosphere around him. Parrot was unhappy there he prayed God to get him out of the zoo. 

10. Parrot Gets out of the Zoo

God listened to Parrot. One day, a very rich family with a little, innocent and cute boy named Erik came to visit the zoo. When Erik saw Parrot and talked to him, he forgot to see other animals in the zoo and spent hours with the Parrot. When it was time to go, Erik told his parents that he wanted to take that parrot with him. Erik’s parents said, “You cannot take that bird home. It is for this zoo.” But Erik didn’t listen and kept crying for Parrot, and he even refused to go home without Parrot. So, Erik’s Parents had to buy Parrot and the owner of the zoo sold for double the price.

11. Parrot on Cloud Nine with the Boy

 

Now Parrot was in very big house, where every comfort could be found. Erik and Parrot were so happy with each other that they played together, they slept together, and they ate together. All the time they were together.

12. Parrot is Sold for the Second Time

Since the day Erik purchased Parrot, he stopped paying attention to his studies and complained about school. Seeing this, Erik’s parents decided to sell Parrot within a few days so that their child would study again. When Erik came to find out about this, he didn’t respond or resist; he told Parrot that his parents were going to sell him. Parrot said, “All right, but I don’t want to go back to that noisy zoo." Erik assured him that his parents wouldn’t give him to the zoo.

13. Parrot with a Young Man

Erik’s parents sold Parrot to a young, handsome and very kind man named Angel. In a very short period of time, they became close friends. Angel was so kind that he felt guilty if he kept Parrot in the cage, so he let him move about freely all the time. Parrot could have escaped, but he considered that wouldn't be fair. Parrot didn’t want to break the confidence which the man had in him. So, Parrot never tried to run way.

14. Angel Tells Parrot His Love Story

One day, Angel was so sad, and Parrot asked the reason. Angel did not say a word. After some days Angle grew even more worried and upset. Parrot kept asking why that was so. Finally, Angel told him and said, “I love Anglia, my classmate." And so Angel told Parrot his love story, sparing nothing. Angel loved Anglia with all his heart; he was now unable to live without her. Parrot could not bear to see the condition of Angel and decided to go to Anglia and tell her everything.

15. Parrot Goes to Anglia

The next evening in evening Parrot got a chance when Angel was out of the home, so he flew and went to Anglia’s house. When Parrot saw Anglia out in the lawn of her house, he said she must be Anglia. Parrot saw her beauty. He flew and sat on a branch of a little tree beside her and said, “Good evening.” Anglia replied with great surprise. She couldn’t believe a bird had spoken. Parrot told her everything and requested that she marry Angel and said that she would be happy all of her life if she married Angel because he loved her so much.

16. Anglia Marries Angel

Days kept going by and Anglia was constantly in the world of her own thinking of Angel and his love for her. It was not long before she also fell in love with Angel and made her mind up to marry him. Angel and Anglia got married. They lived happily together, and Parrot was quite pleased in their company. 

17. Parrot Tells the Couple His Story

One fine day, they three went on a picnic to the beach. There they enjoyed themselves. After swimming, they sat together and ate the food which they had brought. While discussing several things, Anglia asked Parrot how he had learned to speak and where he came from. Parrot told them the complete story of his life. The couple was so sorry to hear the tragic tale of Parrot.

18. Angel and Anglia Free Parrot

Parrot’s past was full of troubles and bad moments of agony and pain, knowing this Angel and Anglia wanted Parrot to live happily now wherever he wanted in full freedom. They asked Parrot, “Do you miss your parents?” Parrot replied, “Yes, a lot every moment!” “And do you want to go and live with them?” they asked him. Parrot became silent, and then he said a bird would be happy with birds! Angel and Anglia saw that there was a hidden wish in Parrot to live with his parents, so they said Parrot, “if you want to go to your homeland and spend your life there with your parents, we allow you with all our heart.”

19. Parrot Goes to His Homeland Forever

Parrot was happy and sad, too. Happy because he was going to meet his parents after all those years, and sad because he was losing good people and friends. However, they would always miss one another and would live in one another’s memories. Angel and Anglia felt sorrow too, but they understood it was better for Parrot. Parrot thanked them and couple thanked him, too, saying if he had not been there, they would have never met. Their eyes filled up with tears some tears were out of happiness and some out of sorrow, thus Parrot flew up into the sky and left for his homeland forever. Angel and Anglia kept watching Parrot until he went out of sight and kept saying good-bye.

Words

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Words make us happy;

Words make us sad.

They hurt;

They heal.

Words make us realize the truth;

Words make us lose the right track.

They beguile;

They guide.

Words express emotions;

Words hide the deepest wounds.

They show;

They suppress.

Words create peace;

Words bring rage.

They soothe;

They annoy.

(1) THE FLOW OF THOUGHT

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Every night we have many dreams while sleeping. When the nights are long and cold, we often wake up at midnight. Hundreds of thoughts come into our minds, some good and some bad. We think about our past, present, and future, as well as the things and people we have gained and lost. Those long, cold nights give us chances to ponder over our lives. Ramazan, an unmarried salesperson, went through this every night.

One night, as per usual, he was alone in his bedroom. Trying to get sleep, he tossed and turned on his bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He got out his laptop and used Facebook for a while.

“Facebook can’t take the place of real chat,” he said to himself while closing the laptop. He lay on his bed again and stared at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts came to his mind. He thought about his childhood and his present days as an adult.

“Those days of childhood were the best days. This age of adulthood is dull,” he said softly. He took his touch-screen mobile phone and played his favorite song from his childhood.

“Why don’t I dance to this song as I did in my childhood? Where is the entertainment?” he asked himself. He thought about how he wandered the streets with his friends as a boy.

“I laughed a lot at even minor jokes, but now my lips hardly move when I listen to any joke,” he said to himself. “I felt happiness when I had only five rupees as pocket money. Now I earn thousands of rupees, but I don’t feel that happy. I wish I could have stayed a child forever. Where are those friends and jokes? Where is that happiness? Why is adulthood so dull and colorless?” he was still asking himself as he fell asleep.

While asleep, he had a dream. He was in class at his primary school. His English teacher was giving a lecture. The teacher told them that he was going to talk about life.

The lecturer said, “Look, dear students, today you are children; tomorrow you will be grown-ups. Today your parents look after you; tomorrow you will look after your children. This chain of life has to go on. You have to make every day count. You have to live every day to the fullest. Life has three main stages: Childhood, adulthood, and old age. At every stage we are different. Every stage has its rules, and with every stage we change. When you are a child, you are interested in toys. You have no responsibilities, but when you are grown-up you have many. Responsibilities don’t necessarily lead to a colorless or dull life. When you take on responsibilities, you become mature and learn more about life. You have to look after your parents, earn money, and get married. Marriage is an important part of adult life. When you are a child, enjoy life. When you become a grown-up, carry out your responsibilities and do what an adult should. In your adult life you lose interest in many things, such as toys. After adulthood, you will reach the stage of old age. This is where you slowly and gradually lose everything, such as your eyesight and teeth. So spend your youth in such a way that when you look back on it from your old age, it will make you proud. You should be proud of your past. Dear children, see the sun; as it rises from the East and it will rise from the same direction when you are old. Time will be the same; same days, same nights.”

Ramazan’s dream was cut short when his alarm clock started to ring. He woke up and looked in the mirror. He said three sentences: “Make each day count. Marriage is an important part of adult life. The chain of life has to go on.”

Thus Ramazan’s dream changed his life. He got married to Nazia, his cousin, and he spent each day as though it were Eid. He looked after his parents well. His parents were very happy to see their inactive child active again.

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Respond to the story:

Why was Ramazan struggling to go to sleep?

What did he think of the Facebook chat?

Where was he in his dream?

What was he told in the dream?

What three sentences did he say when he woke up?

Who did he marry?

How did his parents feel after the new change in Ramazan’s life?

What is the message of the story?

What impact does this story have on your life?

Do you go through all these thoughts at night?

What changes will you make in your life from now on?

(10) CHAPTERS OF INJUSTICE

 Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Chapter: 1

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

It was a sunny day. Robbi was so delighted to win the prize in her class for an essay competition. Her teacher told her that he was sure that one day Robbi would become a great woman.

Robbi said to her teacher, “God willing, I will become a doctor.”

The teacher replied, “God wills that. I know because He has given you all the abilities that a successful doctor should have.”

Robbi went home and showed her mother the prize. Robbi’s mother was happy too, but her father didn’t seem very happy about it. Robbi’s father was a drunkard; her mother had to pay for her education. Financially, she made ends meet by doing needlework. Besides going to school, Robbi also helped her mother with household chores and with needlework.

Years passed and Robbi eventually made it to grade nine. One night Robbi’s father said to her mother, “Robbi has now grown up.”

Her mother said to him, “No, she is still young, but why do you say that?”

He said, “Now Robbi won’t need to go to school anymore.”

Her mother said, “No, she still has to study. She wants to be a doctor.”

“A doctor, impossible!” he said.

“She is the most clever girl in the class, why can’t she be a doctor?!” asked her mother.

Her father replied, “Because the time has come for her to go to her real home.”

“Are you thinking about Robbi’s marriage? She is still too young,” she said.

“Well, sooner or later she has to go; the sooner the better,” said Robbi’s father. He added further, “I have already talked to my old friend. He has a son who works in the fields, that will be better for her. I don’t want to talk about it anymore; that’s final.”

In the morning when Robbi was getting ready to go to school, her mother said to her, “Stay at home today.”

Robbi said, “Why, dear mother?”

She said, “I have a lot of work today and I want you to help me.”

Robbi said, “Alright, if you say so, I am not going.”

So on that day her mother told her that her father was going to get her married. Robbi’s heart was torn into pieces. Her mother said to her, “It is inevitable. I can do nothing; nor can you refuse. If we go against your father’s will, we will both be in trouble. So it is better to be quiet and endure.”

Robbi’s dreams were shattered. She felt a storm inside her, and she wanted to cry so loudly that her voice would break the sky. She fell asleep weeping and sobbing.

In a few days, Robbi’s father married her off. Now she wandered aimlessly through life as if she were already dead. 

Chapter: 2

Robbi was only 14. She was studying in the hope of becoming a doctor when her father married her off. She was married to Zaman, who worked in the fields. All of Robbi’s dreams were shattered before they could come to fruition. Her husband treated her as if she was a servant or slave. He punished her, abused her, and harassed her. He commanded her to look after the buffaloes and cows. She milked them and grazed them near the bank of the river a short distance from the fields where her husband worked.

Robbi gave birth to Rabia at the age of 15. Robbi and her daughter were weak due to Robbi’s pregnancy at a very young age. Early marriage led to many detrimental effects upon Robbi’s health. It had been more than a year since Robbi had seen her mother. Robbi’s father never allowed Robbi’s mother to visit Robbi; neither did Robbi’s husband.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years as Robbi continued to bear all the injustices that her husband administered to her. In rural areas of Sindh, a province of Pakistan, it is common for men to treat women in this way. Very few women raise their voices against the oppression. Robbi would never resist, but she had decided that she would never let her daughter fall victim to this abuse.

One night, Robbi said to Zaman, “Saeen, Rabia is now five. We need to send our daughter to school.” (In Sindhi the word ‘Saeen’ is used for someone who is admired or respected.)

“School? Don’t you know in our village girls are not allowed to attend school? She will never go to school,” her husband replied.

“But Saeen, she must get a primary education, at least, so that she can read and write our native Sindhi language.”

“I don’t like your explanations and answering back. I said she will never go. Now get out of my sight!” he shouted angrily.

Young Rabia was watching and listening to her parents arguing about her from the window. In her heart, Rabia hated her father because she had seen him beating her mother many times. One day, Robbi went to graze the cattle, as usual. Normally, Rabia would stay at home with her grandparents. Her grandparents had never cared much for Robbi or Rabia because they had been disappointed when Robbi did not give birth to a boy. On this particular day, Robbi decided that she would begin to take her daughter out with her to graze the cattle. Robbi had learned reading and writing in Sindhi when she was a child, and she also knew a little bit of English. She decided that she would educate her daughter herself while the cattle grazed.

One night, Robbi called her daughter, “Rabia? Rabia? Where are you?”

“Ami, I am here with grandpa.”

“Won’t you let me read you a new story tonight?”

“Oh, yes.”

That night Robbi told Rabia about her plan. Robbi had originally thought that Zaman would do the same for their daughter as Robbi’s father had done for her. “At least I have gotten my primary education. I have to do something for my daughter, otherwise in this male-dominated society my daughter will be deprived of even basic education,” she whispered to herself.

The next day, as usual, Robbi woke up early, milked the buffaloes, churned the Lassi, and fed the cattle. When she served breakfast to her husband, she told him, “Saeen, I want to take Rabia with me. She will learn grazing the cattle and cutting the grass. She is not going to school, so she better learn the household chores.”

“All right. Keep a close eye on her,” he agreed.

After Zaman had gone, Robbi and her daughter left to graze the cattle. Along the way, she gave Rabia two hundred rupees, which she had earned by selling the milk. The money was used to buy two pens, (one red and one blue), a notebook, and a first grade text book from the village general store. Robbi also gave her a palm straw bag, in which she packed her lunch. Rabia purchased all these things and put them in the bag.

When they reached the river, the cattle started grazing, and they both started the lessons. On their first day, Robbi taught her daughter some letters of the alphabet of their native language. For five years they studied in this way; hiding their books from everyone. Usually, children do their homework at their homes, but Rabia did hers at the river bank. Rabia eventually learned to read and write the Sindhi language, and a little bit of English.

Stay tuned to RizwanAhmedMemon.blogspot.com to read more of this story.

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True to his nature the man closed one more chapter of injustice with Robbi. I wonder how many Robbis will yet be killed, sold and kidnapped, et cetera! That so-called civilized man should know that the woman is also a human. She breathes the same way as he does. Her heart beats as his, and like him, she has emotions, too. Let her live her life!

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Respond to the story:

Should Robbi have raised her voice against her father’s decision?

Are men superior to women?

What is the message of the story?

As a male, do you treat women like Robbi’s father and husband did?

How can women be equal to men in a male-dominated society?

What impact does this story have on you?

What can you say about the author’s efforts to support women and prevent oppression by men through these stories? Write an email and tell the author at this address RizwanAhmedMemon@gmail.com

(9) THE LUCK-STRICKEN

                Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

It was March 3, 2005. I was reading a novel when someone called at the door saying, “O Molvi Bashir wo!” I understood who it was by the voice and the name he used while calling. He used the name of my father. I answered him, “Aayo.” which means ‘coming’ in Sindhi. He called two or three times. His name was Haji Gul, a cobbler who wandered the streets mending the shoes of the villagers. He asked me if there were any shoes that needed repairing in the house. I went and brought some shoes that my mother had put aside to be repaired. After he had fixed the shoes, I asked him, “How much money do I owe you?” “Whatever, any amount,” he replied. He repaired shoes for the villagers and took very little money from them. In his youth he wasn't poor and mentally unstable. However, he became so when he lost his wife and son.

Even though he knew my father had died many years ago whenever he came over he would call out my father’s name. I feel like he invoked my father's name deliberately. I felt a kind of happiness when I heard my father’s name. Perhaps, the cobbler also felt good when he used the name. My mother had told me that the man was very dear to my father.

The village children often teased Haji Gul. They threw stones at him, so he mostly used to sit under the trees at Padhro, which was an area near the park in the village. I used to cross that area when I would come back from school during summer. I often found him lying on the earth with a palm straw bag under his head as a pillow. He kept thread, needles and other shoe repair tools in the bag.

In those hot summer days, he found comfort in the dense shadows of the trees. Many times I wanted to sit with him there and chat, but I never did because of the villagers. My mother often told me about his life. According to her, he was a prosperous man. He had two sons.

Once he went to Mecca for pilgrimage with his family. His wife went missing during that trip. No one could find her. The villagers said she had run away with an Arab man. Only God knows what truly happened, but the loss of his wife was devastating for him. He came back to Pakistan with his sons. He had barely recovered from the sorrow when one of his young sons was run over by a donkey cart. His son died. This is when Haji Gul lost his senses.

Since that day, happiness turned its back on Haji Gul. His tears dried. He stopped taking baths, changing clothes, and talking to others. Under those trees he talked to himself, laughed and wept.

Eventually I finished my education and after four years I returned home from university. I had attended university in Jamshoro. For many days I hadn’t heard anyone call “O Molvi Bashir Wo”, so I asked my mother about Haji Gul. She told me that he had died two years ago.

Still, that call echoes in my ears when I read novels in the morning or during summer evenings. In life, we are surrounded by many people who have great stories to share. If we look beyond their faces and deep into their eyes, we can get a sense of their tragedies. If we pay close attention to their voice, we can feel the pain in their hearts. Instead of making fun of these people, we should learn from their lives and actions because life can bring difficulties upon any of us