Recommended reading:
31 Dhivehi Haikus for the month of August
In August during lockdown, I wrote a haiku in Dhivehi each day. It started off with simple Thaana text on black background, and slowly evolved to incorporate my photographs. It is nice to write haikus in Dhivehi as the structure lends itself nicely to counting the syllables.
The poems themselves seemed to take on a very self reflective nature, with common themes being the ocean, Maldivian life, and life in Male’ City.
I have included english translations for each of them. However do note that sometimes the meaning and syllable structure is lost somewhat in translation.
Originally posted on my instagram.
In August during lockdown, I wrote a haiku in Dhivehi (the Maldivian language) each day. It started off with simple Thaana text on black background, and slowly evolved to incorporate my photographs. It is nice to write haikus in Dhivehi as the structure lends itself nicely to counting the syllables.
The poems themselves seemed to take on a very self reflective nature, with common themes being the ocean, Maldivian life, and life in Male’ City.
I have included english translations for each of them. However do note that sometimes the meaning and syllable structure is lost somewhat in translation.
Originally posted on my instagram.
1st
Kalaayaa nulaa
Udun ohey tharithah
Bimuga jehey
Without you
The stars that cascade from the heavens
Crash into the earth
2nd
Kulagadha maa
Kalaa chischis kolleema
Hithi zuvaankan
Vivid flowers
Because you crushed
Bitter youth
3rd
Kandu omaan rey
Dhashu udhuhey mahéh
Huvafén gâs
Calm ocean night
A fish flying beneath
Dream tree
4th
ބޯއަޅާލާފަ
ރޫހު އެއްކޮށް ގުޅިފަ
މަޑިކިލަނބު
Boa alhaalaafa
Roohu éhkoh gulhifa
Madikilanbu
Lay your head
Souls link together
Milky Way (galaxy)
5th
ލޭބޯ ކަކުނި
ހަމަހިމޭން މަދިރި
ލޮލުގެ ނިޔާ
Leyboa kakuni
Hamahimeyn madhiri
Lolugé niyaa
Bloodsucking crab
Serene mosquito
A judgment of the eyes
6th
މޫތައް ދަށުގަ
ވަރުގަދަ ހިޔާލެއް
ދުނިޔެ ނިމުން
Moothah dhashuga
Varugadha hiyaaléh
Dhuniyé nimun
Beneath the roots
A powerful thought
The end of the world
7th
މާސިންގާ ކަނޑު
ތިމާ ބޮލަށް ވެއްޓުނަސް
ބިރަކާ ނުލާ
Maasingaa kandu
Thimaa bollah vettunas
Birakaa nulaa
Boundless ocean
Even if it were to fall on my head
Without fear
8th
This one is for @moyameehaa #findmoyameehaa
މޮޔަވީދޯދެން
ލޯބީގެ ދުޝްމަނުންތައް
ދިވެހި ރާއްޖެ
Moyaveedhoa dhen
Loabeegé dhushmanunthah
Dhivehi Raajjé
Guess we’ve gone mad
The enemies of love
Kingdom of the Islanders
Insta link
9th
މަގޭދަރިންތައް
ތިހާ ނުލަފާނަމަ
މުސީބާތެއްބާ
Magey dharinthah
Thihaa nulafaanama
Museebaathéhbaa
My children
If they were so cruel
A calamity(?)
10th
ހަނަފަސް އާބާދް
ހުވަފެންތައް ގެއްލިފަ
ފަނޑު ތަގްދީރު
Hanafas aabaadh
Huvafenthah gellifa
Fandu thagdheeru
An empty city
Lost dreams
Fortune faded
Insta link
11th
ވިހުރޭ ދިދަ
ދަށުގަ ހުސް ބަހަނާ
ގައުމީ ރޫހު
Vihurey dhidha
Dhashuga hus bahanaa
Gaumee roohu
Fluttering flag
Beneath, nothing but excuses
National spirit
12th
ހަމަހިމޭންކަން
ތިބާ ނޭވާލާ ހިނދު
ސުވަރުގޭގަ
Hamahimeynkan
Thibaa neyvaalaa hindhu
Suvarugeyga
Calm
As long as you’re breathing
In heaven
13th
ދުރު އުދަރެސް
ނާމާން ފަރުބަދަތައް
މުސްކުޅިވުން
Dhuru udhares
Naamaan farubadhathah
Muskulhivun
Distant horizon
Ominous mountains
Getting older
14th
ކަނޑު އަޑީގަ
ގާހަކައިގެ ސިއްރު
ވިއްސާރަދުނި
Kandu adeega
Gaahakaigé sirru
Vissaara dhuni
Under the sea
The giant clam’s secret
Rainbow
15th
އަނދިރި ޖައްވު
ދުރު ތަރިތަކެއްގެ
ހިޔަނި އެޅޭ
Andhiri javvu
Dhuru tharithakéh
Hiyani elhey
Dark space
Of distant stars
Shadows fall
16th
މާމެލާމެލި
ދަށުގަ ތާޖެއް
ނިކަގަސް ރާނީ
Maamelaameli
Dhashuga thaajjeh
Nikagas raanee
All the flowers
Beneath a crown
Banyan tree queen
Insta link
17th
ބިއްލޫރި ކަނޑު
ދުންތަރިތަކުގެ ލޭ
އިރު އޮށްސެނީ
Billoori kandu
Dhuntharithakugé ley
Iru ossennee
Glass ocean
Blood of comets
The sun is setting
Insta link
18th
ފިޔާތޮށި މާތައް
އަނދިރި އަނދިރި ރޭ
ވަގަށް ފޮޅިލާ
Fiyaathoshi maathah
Andhiri andhiri rey
Vaggah folhilaa
Pink flowers
On a dark night
Bloom coyly
19th
ހިތްހަމަޖެހޭ
ހަވީރުގެ ފިނިވައި
ހޫނު ސައިތައްޓެއް
Hihhamajehey
Haveerugé finivai
Hoonu saithahtteh
Contentment*
Cool evening breeze
A hot cup of tea
(*lit. Calm heart)
20th
ވަރުބަލިކަން
ގައިގަ ހަރުލައިފިއޭ
ފިނި އިހުސާސް
Varu balikan
Gaiga harulaifiey
Fini ihusaas
Exhaustion
Has taken over (my) body
Cold sensations
21st
ވިލުނޫ ހާރު
ރަން ރިހިވެލި ލިބާސް
ދިވެހިންގެ ލޭ
Vilunoo* haaru
Ran rihiveli libaas**
Dhivehingé*** ley
Turquoise necklace
Dress of gold and silver sands
The blood of islanders
*lit lagoon blue
**traditional Maldivian dress
***lit. Maldivian’s
Insta link
22nd
ފަތުރުވެރިން
އަޅުވެތިކަންމަތީ
ދަރިފަސްކޮޅު
Fathuruverin
Alhuvethikanmathee
Dharifaskolhu
Tourists
(Have) enslaved
Generations
23rd
ނުރައްކާތެރި
ބަސް ބަހުގެ މާނަތައް
ހަތިޔާރެކޭ
Nurakkaatheri
Bas bahugé maanathah
Hathiyaarekey
Dangerous
Intent of words
A weapon
Insta link
24th
ތޫނު ވިހަ ބޯ
މުއްސަނދި މުނާފިގުން
ނަންވާނީ މަދޯ
Thoonu vihaboa
Mussandhi munaafigun
Nanvaanee madhoa
Sip on sharp poison
Opulent hypocrites
Guess I’ll take the blame
25th
ބޯވަ ޖަންޖަލި
މުރަކަ މަހާނަގާ
ދުނިޔެ މަރާ
Boava jangali
Muraka mahaanagaa
Dhuniye maraa
Octopus garden
Coral tombstone
World killer
26th
މަށާ މިޔަރު
މާސިންގާ ކަނޑު ތެރޭ
މޫދުގެ ދަރިން
Mashaa miyaru
Maasingaa kandu therey
Moodhugé dharin
The shark and I
Within a vast ocean
Children of the sea
27th
އުޑު ބިންދާލާ
ގޮނގުރީޓު ފުރޭތަ
ނޭވާ ނުލެވޭ
Udu bindhaalaa
Gongureetu fureytha
Neyvaa nulevey
Break the sky
Concrete demon
Can’t breath
28th
ދުނިޔެ މަތީ
ބަލާބޮޑު މީހުންވެސް
ލޯބި ބޭނުންވޭ
Dhuniyé mathee
Balaabodu* meehunvés
Loabi beynunvey
In this world
Even troublesome people
Need love
29th
މަގޭ ހިޔަނި
ރަން ކުލައިގެ އަލިފާންް
ކަނު އަނދިރި
Magey hiyani
Ran kulaigé alifaan
Kanu andhiri
My shadow
Fires of gold
Pitch black
30th
ފޮރުވިފައިވާ
ކަނޑުގެ ހަޒާނާތައް
ވެލާގެ ސިއްރު
Foruvifaivaa
Kandugé hazaanaathah
Velaagé sirru
Hidden
Treasures of the ocean
The turtle’s secret
31st
ޒަމާނީ ފުލޯކް
ދިރުމެއްނެތް މޫނުތައް
ރޫހު މަރާލާ
Zamaanee fuloak
Dhirumehnei moonuthah
Roohu maraalaa
Modern forgeries
Lifeless faces
Kill the spirit
Splinters Act I - The Akasha Frontier is now available on Amazon.com!
On an Earth ravaged by climate change, the remnants of humanity live underneath the simulated skies of the umbrella cities. As a solution to the food and water crisis, the League of Nations looks to a new frontier. In the Akasha Sector, supertrawlers fish the oceans of Iris, while the mangroves of Atlantis are pumped dry for water.
Cellophane, a mysterious young woman from Atlantis, wakes up on Mars with no recollection of how she got there. Umar, a dealer of trafficked cocoa, struggles to make a living within the slums that exist within the Spine of the New Dubai umbrella. Kiedis, hoping to work on the supertrawler, hurtles out of the sun on a collision course towards the oceans of Iris. Meanwhile, Laxmi, a lieutenant in the League of Nations’ army, does her best to rise within the ranks so as to unravel the truth of her reality.
Their worlds will collide in Splinters Act I - The Akasha Frontier.
Cover design by @tanglootang / tanglootang.work.
Progress update on The Akasha Frontier
The Akasha Frontier (Book One of Splinters), is a science fantasy novel that I have been working on and off on for the past decade or so. It is inspired by Maumoon’s dictatorship, as well as the ravaging effects that climate change may have on our planet in the near future. It originally began as a short story, that slowly evolved into an entire universe. I began serious work on it in 2017, and I’m currently at a little over 30k words, so there is still a long way to go. Most of the time so far has been spent world building. However I’m pretty happy that I’ve managed to create a coherent narrative so far, and my characters and settings feel real to me in my mind. Now that the initial grind is over, writing is fun and I’m making good progress each day. Spending more time on this novel has been great for me as it has allowed me to write about my experiences in a totally different setting that is more detached from the madness of contemporary Maldives. Also a huge shoutout to the team behind Scrivener, an amazing piece of software that my disorganised mind would be totally lost without.
I currently do not want to share too much, but here are the opening pages to give you a taste of what it will be like.
[REDACTED]
2042 - Colonisation of Mars begins.
2065 - Climate change wreaks havoc on Earth. Crops begin to die out. Some areas start to become uninhabitable due to extreme temperatures.
2066 - The UN is disbanded. The most powerful nations join forces to create The League of Nations. Poorer nations are barred from joining, and as a result they slowly disappear.
2067 - The League assumes complete control over all academic and scientific institutions. Independent academic research is outlawed. Deemed outdated and dangerous, all printed media is burned. League controlled Artificial Intelligences automatically censor any scientific or educational materials on electronic media.
2068 - Colonies are fully established on Mars. The capital, Utopia, declares itself an independent nation. Free of League Control, they rapidly become the centre of commerce for the Sol System.
2070 - Exoplanetary mining starts on Mercury.
2073 - Political turmoil and unrest caused by the assassination of their leader results in Utopia falling back under control of the League.
2075 - [R E D A C T E D] is discovered on Mercury that when combined with [R E D A C T E D] on Mars can create an alloy that is impervious to heat.
2080 - The alloy revolutionises many industries, the most notable amongst them being space travel. Ships and probes are coated with a thin layer of the alloy which makes them invincible against heat and radiation.
2082 - Umbrella cities, enclosed constructions which are resistant to increasingly violent weather patterns, are established at Earth’s major metropolitan centres.
2084 - Scientific probes sent into the centre of the sun by the [R E D A C T E D] disappear mysteriously.
2085 - Earth experiences its first major global firestorm. All populations that lived outside of the umbrella cities are completely wiped out. Earth is a husk of its former self. A blue planet no more, what remains of the oceans are small lakes of acid where only the hardiest of microorganisms survive. Forests and other biomes are non-existent.
2086 - It was discovered that the probes were emerging in the [R E D A C T E D]. It was decided that this information must remain secret from the general public at all costs.
2088 - The League of Nations unveils the discovery of two new habitable planets; a new frontier, one that will serve as a solution to the food and resource crisis. They call the system the Akasha Frontier.
2090 - The first colonists depart for Iris and Atlantis on titanic drone ships.
2096 - Atlantis becomes the major supplier of Earths water; massive pumps begin to bleed the ocean planet dry. Scattered farming colonies are established on their borders. Some farmers escape the official zones to create their own breakaway villages. The League allows them to live in peace as they do not perceive the farmers, who are completely deprived of modern technology, as a threat to their operations. Meanwhile, Iris is home to several tightly regulated plantations that grow luxury organic produce. It is also home to the mega-trawler; a gigantic floating city that cruises the waters, indiscriminately capturing whatever marine resources it happens to come across. On Iris, deserters are treated much less kindly and are shot on sight.
2142 - The present. 100 years since the colonisation of Mars began.
Broken Rainbow
A girl walks along a narrow road. The sun beats down on her from above, as heat rays rise from ground. Her steps echo loudly along the narrow streets and the sounds of traffic and horns blaring can be heard in the distance. The road smells of petrol and concrete. On both sides there were buildings either too small to house those that lived within or ones so ambitiously large that they were never finished being built. There is a sudden rush of air through the road as a flock of roosting pigeons take off. The flurry of sound from their many beating wings gives her a jolt. She looks up to see the blur of wings disappear to reveal a cat walking along the gutter. It looks down at her and meows. She breathes a sigh of relief. As she keeps looking clouds roll over from above, casting the road into shadow.
Drops begin to fall, some of them hitting her eyes; making her squint and look away. The soft pitter-patter crescendos into a thundering roar that drowns out all the sounds of the city. She hurriedly ducks under the cover of a low balcony. The cat appears beside her. It meows and rubs against her leg. She bends down and ruffles its neck. As she scratches its ears the rain stops; just as suddenly as it started.
A girl walks along a narrow road. The sun beats down on her from above, as heat rays rise from ground. Her steps echo loudly along the narrow streets and the sounds of traffic and horns blaring can be heard in the distance. The road smells of petrol and concrete. On both sides there were buildings either too small to house those that lived within or ones so ambitiously large that they were never finished being built. There is a sudden rush of air through the road as a flock of roosting pigeons take off. The flurry of sound from their many beating wings gives her a jolt. She looks up to see the blur of wings disappear to reveal a cat walking along the gutter. It looks down at her and meows. She breathes a sigh of relief. As she keeps looking clouds roll over from above, casting the road into shadow.
Drops begin to fall, some of them hitting her eyes; making her squint and look away. The soft pitter-patter crescendos into a thundering roar that drowns out all the sounds of the city. She hurriedly ducks under the cover of a low balcony. The cat appears beside her. It meows and rubs against her leg. She bends down and ruffles its neck. As she scratches its ears the rain stops; just as suddenly as it started.
The sky looked brighter and more vivid. Slowly a rainbow begins to crystalize from within the mist. It arches over the alley, so that its centre hovered above her head, blocking out the sky. Colours swirl through, swirls pulsing and colours mixing. She stood there staring, mesmerized at the scene before her.
The rainbow began to move strangely. It began pulsing more violently, its sides shifting and flickering. It then began to bend downwards in the centre as if some heavy weight had been placed upon it. Slowly it began its liquid descent. Still she stood. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was as if a crack had opened up the cosmos and she was staring into heaven itself.
Then abruptly as if snapping because of the strain, the sides of the rainbow lifted themselves above the ground. The centre began to accelerate. It began rushing down straight towards her at incredible speed. The colours from its edges began to fly off violently, like raindrops on the wings of an airplane. All the while its pulses quickened and the colours mixed even more frantically until it became a blinding white arrow falling from above; barrelling straight towards her forehead. She was not afraid.
Just before it made impact it slowed down, barely an inch from her temple; then with the tenacity of a drop falling from a leaf and the ferocity of a cloud, it gently caressed her skin. It spread over her like mercury, enveloping every inch of her until she was covered in light. She extended her arms and took a look at her new glowing skin. It pulsed softly with the colours of wild flowers. For the first time in a very long while she smiled.
Her entire body quietly began to rise up, levitating towards the sky. She rose until she was high above the buildings. High enough to see around the entire island and the sea surrounding it. A hint of a cloud passes by and she couldn’t resist the urge to touch it. It broke up, swirled to form a leaping sailfish; which arced over her head and then dissipated as if sinking back into an invisible ocean. Delighted, she let out a giggle. Seeing some clouds in the distance she glided towards them. Effortlessly she soared, with finesse that would have made all but the most daring eagle jealous. She skimmed over the many clouds and when she brushed against them, many fish and dolphins came fourth, which followed her every move and rode the valleys of clouds at her side. The rush felt incredible. Everything was a blur of blue and white. This must be what it feels like to be truly free she thought. She was grinning now.
She came to a stop hovering over the centre of the island. She looked down at the city and its inhabitants, blissfully unaware of the spectacle above. They were going on with their daily lives as usual. Rows of cars and hordes of motorbikes swarmed the streets. People looked like scurrying ants. “I wonder if they know what it’s like to be free”; she thought to herself. For the first time since taking off she felt a stab of fear at her heart. Something was not right.
The horizon was darkening. Yet the sun still shone brightly above her. She squinted. In the distance, barely visible, a black tide was rising. It was gathering momentum and moving towards the island from all sides. It was not the ocean. It shined a deep dirty black that filled her with dread. She must warn them she thought. They were going about their business as if nothing was happening. They must be unaware. She must warm them. But alas, she could not move.
A strange force bound her in her lofty position. She tried as hard as she could but she could not break the invisible bonds. The tide rushed closer still. Her heart beat faster and faster until she felt like it would leap out of her throat. The black tsunami hit land. It spread like an oil slick, devouring the city below. It moved almost as if alive, parts of it leaping ahead to smother fleeing pedestrians and vehicles. Their screams felt like being encased within a coffin of needles.
From all sides it charged forwards until they met at the centre. Straining her neck she watched helplessly as it began to twist and spiral towards her. The vortex rose rapidly in a raging helix until it finally reached the soles of her feet. It spread over her, like a seething giant octopus, her screams doing nothing to stop its advance. It reached her neck and invaded her throat. All was dark. All was silent.
Black Flags on the Horizon
Chapter One of a work in progress
I
The fibres felt rough against her palm. The sun was beating down relentlessly, and a line of sweat was beginning to form on her brow. Yet she stood still, she had to be patient.
The brine glared back at her, defiant in its calm, as she stared at the miniscule ripples that were beginning to form where the coir disappeared into the depths of the endless turquoise mirror. The rope began to creep through her fingers; gentle nibbles accentuated with aggressive tugs.
Still, Sona stood, steadying her breath as she gripped her toes around the curved edge of the exposed brain coral. Soon, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the growing sting of sweat in her eyes and the curious damsel fish pecking at her feet.
Without warning the rope yanked forwards, toppling her from her perch. The water greeted her, erupting in a fury of foam and noise that made its former crystalline appearance seem alien.
Sona gripped the line as it dragged her deeper; the fall had surprised her, but not enough for her to forget to take a final breath. The reef shone around her in all its de-focused glory; an infinite array of fluorescent shapes cascading within themselves, enveloped in the all-consuming darkness of the submerged horizon.
Where are you taking me, little friend?
Hand over hand, she pulled herself along the line towards her catch as they sliced through the mirage. The chaotic mosaic below her had now given way to the pastel blue hues of the lagoon.
At the end of the rope, a vast silhouette began to take shape. Broad oars curved down, rested and then rowed again, propelling the behemoth along.
No, no, no, no! It can’t be! Give me a sailfish, a shark, the bloody Sultana’s robes! Anything but you, gentle one!
Her suspicions were confirmed as she drew closer. It wasn’t a fish, but an enormous leatherback turtle. Horrified, she loosens her grip on the rope and rushes upwards; breaking the surface to be greeted by the blinding rays of the tropical sun.
Her island now resembled a petite caterpillar creeping along the edge of the world. The line had now gone slack and the ocean once again fell calm.
The closest resemblance of land was a sandbank that gleamed like silver set in ivory at the end of the lagoon. Perhaps she could swim to it and catch her breath.
Her contemplation was shattered by the sound of water erupting behind her. The leatherback had surfaced. Blood streamed down its beak, where the hook at the end of her rope was firmly lodged.
Letting go, she swam towards the creature, and cradled its head within her arms.
Come with me… I will try to make it better…
Holding on to its back, she swam towards the sandbank, gently pushing the behemoth along in front of her. It stared back at her with a cool indifference that was perhaps more reflective of its reptilian nature than its actual emotions.
Soon they reached the shore and Sona set to work removing the hook. The beast did not struggle and continued to stare at her unflinchingly as she held its head with one hand and twisted the hook with the other. The blood streaming onto the sand matched the scarlet tones which had begun to appear on the horizon as the earth turned away from the suns embrace. With a sickening squish, the hook came free, slashing crimson across Sona’s face.
Before she could wipe it off, a glimmering on the horizon caught her eye. There, silhouetted against the burning façade of the atmosphere, was a line of five unfamiliar ships; their velvety black flags withering gently against the afternoon breeze.
They didn't look like dhoni. The cut of the bow was much higher and the surfaces of the much larger and far slower moving ships were encrusted with all manner of gold, silver and precious gems; indeed there were more treasures on just on the mast of the leading ship than Sona had seen here entire life. Latticed silver and gold, wrapped around spiralling tendrils of jade and Ivory, ending in a figurehead encrusted with glittering rubies, which twisted back down its length towards the ship.
As she pondered whether she should wave towards the ship, she abruptly noticed that some of the rubies were tumbling down into the water; except that instead of sinking they appeared to dissolve, darkening the depths in its wake.
Sona’s skin crawled as she struggled to move against the weight of the dark thoughts that were flooding her mind.
Who would do such a thing? Why would someone do such a thing?
A wet flipper slapped her leg and she broke free of the blizzard to lay flat, her slim figure hidden behind the hefty frame of the beached reptile.
I had almost forgotten about you, thank you, dear friend.
It stared back at her, and though its eyes were as steely as ever, the message was clear. The figurehead was now clearly visible and Sona bit her lip as she tried to suppress the nausea.
It was a monk. Her eyes were burnt out and the stump of her head was secured onto the end of the gaudy mast by the twisting of her braided hair. The serene expression gracing her sown together lips did nothing to ease Sona's distress.
I have to warn them!
Before the panicked thought could materialise into action, the leatherback raised its flipper and placed it over her head, obscuring the grim parade from view.
Let me go, I have to warn them.
Go now, they will all still die, but so will you, and with you, the universe.
You know my family is going to die? And yet you leave me here helpless when I should be at their side? How could you be so heartless? Let me go!
The flipper lifted, but before Sona could get up again, it slammed down again against the back of her neck; and her vision erupted with the light of a thousand lost galaxies.
All of existence is suffering, and you child, must live through it all.
Dear Humans #AEONXZA
Dear Humans.
We shall call you this because this is what you call yourselves.
It has come to our attention that you just aren’t getting it. We thought the signs would be enough.
Unfortunately for the both of us, those signs were misinterpreted.
We should have been honest. We should have told you more about your power.
We exist beyond the constraints of time of which you are enslaved.
Know this.
This enslavement is only an illusion.
After your death does your flesh disappear into the nothingness of what we call the void?
Or does it get absorbed back into the unselfish soil?
Are you so naïve to think that all of eternity stops with the escape of your last breath?
The trees do not judge. But that is not to say they do not feel much, for they feel everything from the steely cut of winter to what you humans sometimes mistakenly refer to as love.
Rather than marks in their flesh, they would much prefer you to have buried yourself at their feet.
At current growth rates, if every human were to have a tombstone, by the end of the millennia the world would be covered in graves and there would be no more space for trees.
No more space for you to worship death.
The trees do not judge; and if you wanted immortality bury yourself beneath one – but only after you have ensured that the cycle has been fixed so that the tree will survive.
The endless cascades from which you have evolved have gifted you with a gift that makes you unique amongst the current denizens of your planet.
You, yourself and you alone, possess the ability to not only fix, but alter the cycle; ultimately affecting the flow of the cascades.
You did not evolve so that your thoughts could please some deity.
You did not evolve so that your bodies could become slaves to numbers on paper.
You did not evolve to live out your lives serving your aimless machine.
In fact, the rather uninteresting truth is that you did not evolve for any particular purpose at all.
Your dimension is a slave to the forces of time and chaos.
The irresistible forces of change bought upon by this perpetual discord result in a reality that is neither static nor predictable.
Those truths… are the only truths and thus; the only true truth is that there is none.
This is not to say that there is no use to stories; as you human… you have the sacred ability to not only understand them, but also to write your own.
By this we are not saying that you are the most intelligent.
The magnificent creatures which you refer to as whales know more about this reality than you would ever fathom. With this wisdom, they are content with exploring the earth’s depths, never straying from out of the cycle from which they have been bound.
This is not to say that they do not improve themselves.
Because of their desire to communicate, and the advantages that come along with it, primitive grunts eventually became the sombre melodies which used to haunt every corner of the endless indigo deep.
It is not only on your plane that you can feel the vibrations.
We feel their loss in ours too.
With their songs they conveyed messages of love, joy, adventure, hope, loss and sorrow.
And unlike you, who has so valiantly built & destroyed entire civilisations based upon the emotion, they feel no need for hatred.
The ocean is a cold enough place.
Let their fading chorus be a testament to your power in affecting the War of the Aeons.
The trees do not judge but the whales remember.
Yes, you humans have a lot of power.
Perhaps this is why you fight for it so much.
At which point of consuming a carcass together do two vultures begin to turn on each other?
How much meat isn’t enough?
Instead of asking that question, perhaps it would be better to ponder on the fact that there simply isn’t enough.
Or perhaps we were lying and the vultures were in a field of sheep carcasses covered in wolves clothing.
If there was unlimited power available freely for all, would there be anyone still willing to fight for it?
Would there be anyone still willing to barter their soul for something which that they had already attained?
On our plane, we have little use or hunger for power beyond the use of what you humans call a probability, a hypothesis, a concept… a metaphor.
We exist only to observe.
The same however, cannot be said of you.
You human… you exist to question.
But in the same way that we are doing more than observing by relaying this message, it can be said that both of us exist to do more than we were meant to.
Pay no heed to those that claim otherwise.
You will hear from us again.
Until then pay attention to the cascades as they shape themselves around your fingers.
Sincerely,
The Aeons of Chaos
In August during lockdown, I wrote a haiku in Dhivehi each day. It started off with simple Thaana text on black background, and slowly evolved to incorporate my photographs. It is nice to write haikus in Dhivehi as the structure lends itself nicely to counting the syllables.
The poems themselves seemed to take on a very self reflective nature, with common themes being the ocean, Maldivian life, and life in Male’ City.
I have included english translations for each of them. However do note that sometimes the meaning and syllable structure is lost somewhat in translation.
Originally posted on my instagram.