Issue No. 608
Opinion
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17 - 23 October 2002 Issue No. 608 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
The absent caress
Age is the last battle of the soul. It sneaks up on you in silence, like an adversary moving under the cover of darkness. Then it sheds its disguise and pauses, savouring the moment, waiting for you to fight back, perhaps marvelling when you do.
For most of my life, I would sit and read for hours. Now, I have friends read me the newspaper headlines, and perhaps an article or two. I was also an avid lover of music -- all types of music, modern and classical, Eastern and Western. Now, the only music I enjoy is the voice of my interlocutor, even though in volume it must approach what people with normal hearing would call shouting. The pleasures of going to art exhibitions, the movies and the theatre, are now all in the past.
You can negotiate with age, but it will always drive a hard bargain. I have friends update me on what is happening in the art scene. Some read me part of a literary work; some describe an art exhibition or a film they have seen. Music is harder. Like a caress, it is the type of thing you need to anticipate, not imagine.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy
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