after the dust settled

the alley just behind my flat.

i woke up on thursday to a world filled with dust.

i thought i knew about dust, about sand, about the way the wind picks it up and spins it around like i'd imagine tornadoes do houses in kansas. i thought i knew about the way the desert creeps into shoes, into bed sheets and onto roads.

i learned all about that in arizona, and sudan was kind enough to remind me.

but what i woke up to on thursday was different. the dust was everywhere, it was inescapable. it filled the air like fog does in london. it stained my clothes, stung my eyes and found its way into my nose and mouth and ears.

but then i can't complain. see, the dust brought with it some cool weather. well, relatively cool. just last week, temperatures were nearing 120 degrees. today, we're topping out at a cool 98. elhamdulillah.


the alley ... just in case you didn't get 'it' the first time around.


my flip-flops the morning after.


clean | dirty