Celebrating 41st UAE National Day in Abu Dhabi through poetry

Well here we are one more year in Abu Dhabi, I guess I will always be older than this nation.

At forty-one, this young land but ancient soil seems to be a place where many have found a home. Over 80 percent of the population are expats. As I sit here now and write this post. It is ten pm on Saturday December first just hours away from December 2nd which is National Day.
I have seen the beautiful Fire Works on the Corniche and now I am listening to the honking and the loud noises the cars make. Perhaps not how I would celebrate National Day.

I celebrate National Day with the 41 lines for 41 years.  Read on and see what I  would say through poetry about National Day.

UAE 41 Years…. 41 Lines…..

1. The land of not opportunities alone but of dreams coming true
2. The place where I came to with no particular hope and I learned I had wings
3. The desert in the middle of the oasis where oil is turned to real tangible things
4. The crude realities of oil still present but the longing for change even more present
5. Bridging the gap between east and west in real form. A lady in a bikini and a lady in an abaya despite all that they carry with in can sit side by side and be themselves
6. It is not only about the Ferrari world it is about where the road and path can take you
7. It is not only a place to pray. The Grand Mosque can restore faith in the abilities of mankind
8. She is a lady at sunset and a gentleman at sunup
9. It is not only the smell of oud it is the essence of the aroma
10. The carriers of the Gulf only a reminder of the dreams carried to shore
11. There are no beggars on the street, not only because of law, but because we are all here to work
12. There is no stealing not only because of the consequences but because of the trust we have in ourselves
13. The lights are lit after Ramadan and the lights are lit for Christmas honoring all religions and all faiths and beliefs
14. It is not only the name of the schools and universities that give education its clout on this land, it is the education that gives its students opportunities in this land that give young minds clout in the world
15. It is not the amount of sand in the desert that makes the caravan move from place to place, it is the caravan that makes the desert come to life with each step
16. The salt in the sea is not salty because it is only there to be desalinated for use to make the desert green
17. The heritage that was lost in the desert wind is being brought back each day through nabati story telling and poem reciting
18. What might look like workers camps to some may indeed be viewed as havens to others, the others that are here to support a family and a clan through their daily sweat
19. This land has taught me to look inside for my answers and go to the well of light for my responses
20. I hope to see it 20 years from now and I wonder what 40 years from now will bring to life
21. Every child was born to a father and a mother, Sheik Zayed has been both to this land
22. He has made an other wise anonymous nation known to all who know where the sun rises
23. A person is said to be well-respected when the elderly and the young respect them alike. Sheik Zayed was able to touch noses bending down to a child and looking up to an elder
24. Respect is not given but earned, to be called father of a nation by nationals is one thing but to be internationally respected is another
25. There are waves in the Gulf that bring news from the East and to the West and at times the oud of the East across the Water, this aroma has heritage behind it
26. Heritage of people whose life started on this land 7500 years ago but is now celebrated as the young nation of 40 years. Only roots can give way to such branches to grow
27. Branches can only seek light if allowed flight. The art of falconry is a national sport which gives inhabitants the wings they need to fly
28. The camels in the desert that die of eating empty bottles have a voice the voice that says what will our children think when there are no more camels to greet the dinosaurs in the heavens
29. There are other nations whose names start with United. But the UAE is truly a nation that unites people
30. UAE is not a melting pot but more so a place for individuals to keep their ethnicity and wear their identity with pride may it be a purple robe or a white one
31. The smallness of the nation only adds to the flavor of its wonderous growth
32. The reality and importance of learning from those who have already traversed a land or a sea
33. The land of opportunity for those who are educated and wealthy but also the land of opportunity for those twilling the land to educate their children at home
34. The call to prayer five times a day starts at the Grand Mosque and echoes in every crack of every corner mosque and then resonates a light in those ready to hear the call
35. The call is the breath of the child out of womb under a tent and it is also the last breath of the camel dying of thirst while sitting at the oasis
36. Perhaps oasis is a great word for this land.
37. Indeed a land that was always dry but is now green with vegetation. Still around this land all you see is sand until your eye travels
38. At the oasis one can drink or one can cry
39. It is there the river of truth is in every speck of sand and in every drop of salt in the sea
40. For now time of sitting by the river called the UAE is over, it is time to step into the river and go with the flow.
41. Today it rained and that rain I take as a celebration of the next 365 days ahead. May all countries in the region and the world live in peace and celebrate life