Author Description

This unusual collection of short writings is a literary chronicle of the author’s attempt at finding meaning and growth during his shelter-at-home experience from March-July 2020. The pieces were written very quickly and with minimal editing, often before sunrise, as an escape from the impossibility to find perspective about life during the beginning of the shelter-at-home period. Themes evolved as society turned against itself across the globe. The book begins with a short play inspired by two churches in Normandy, where acts of incredible human greatness and depravity happened within their bodies during World War II; it is the imagination of a conversation between them. Following writings are in prose-poem, short story and aphorism forms and the evolving style was inspired increasingly by the author’s ongoing literary projects based on the Lebanese poet and artist, Kahlil Gibran, the author of The Prophet. Gibran’s archaic style seemed fresh and relevant in describing modern themes. Although the events that inspired the writings were tragic and destructive, the author hopes that the effort to think beyond the moment will, more often than not, allow the reader to emerge from the chaos to reflect.