Smoky # 1

During the most recent war in Lebanon, my mother and I were forced to leave our home in Beirut to rent a large house in the village of Kleiaat, in Kesrouan. It was a residence with traditional architecture: wide doors, large and high windows that allowed light to enter abundantly, illuminating the space where we lived. There, life was much slower; there was time to reflect and observe. A stray grey cat visited us from time to time, as she too needed a refuge. My life in this house eventually came to resemble my inner life very closely: calm, contemplative, and a bit isolated.