The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Thursday 9 March 2017

She

She is as wild as the wind and as  free as the eagles that soar high over mountain-tops. Her love is as deep and unfathomable as the boundless ocean. She walks with her feet planted firmly on earth and her head in the clouds. She breathes stardust and her smile is as radiant as the light of the sun. Her hands have nurtured the young, tended the sick and buried the dead. She has cried rivers of tears and her sorrow has pierced the hardest of hearts. She has faith and strength to move mountains and is fearfully and wonderfully made. Her laughter brings happiness to those she loves. She is maiden, mother and crone. Her wisdom transcends generations. She was, is and will be - till the end of time. She carries the pain of a thousand Eves and the joy of a thousand more. She is imperfectly perfect, indestructible as a diamond yet as delicate as a blossom.
She is Woman.

Blossom


On a different note …

Gone But Not Forgotten


My plan was to publish the above short post in honour of Woman's Day. But Malta suffered a mini-catastrophe yesterday when a storm destroyed one of its most iconic natural creations - the Azure Window.

The Azure Window

This arch rose from the depths of the sea to a height of  almost 100 feet. Nobody knew for sure when the arch was formed. Some geologists are estimating that it was around 500 years old. But yesterday morning, after hundreds of years of standing tall and proud and battling countless storms, it succumbed to the elements and collapsed into the sea after a massive gale hit the island. For  the past few years everyone had been expecting the top part of the arch to cave in and fall into the sea, leaving the stack (pillar) behind - as commonly happens with these types of arches. But in the case of the Azure Window, it was the pillar that had eroded to the point that it could no longer support the massive weight resting on it. And the rest, as they say, is now history. I think that the whole nation was a bit saddened by its loss, mainly because nearly everyone has a photo with the Azure Window as a backdrop or a memory of some sort associated with it; and like all familiar things, their loss, though inevitable, is sometimes harder to accept.

The loss of the Azure Window made it to the international media with reports about its collapse in The Telegraph, The Mirror, BBC News, The Washington Post, The New York  Times and many, many others. I did my own little tribute here.

Many feel as if nature has dealt us a collective blow. But I think it was more of a case that what nature had given it has now taken away. The Azure Window has vanished from sight and what remains of it lies at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea, from where it once rose. Perhaps the sea has only claimed back something that was birthed from its watery womb and, maybe for this particular window, it was time to return - this time to its watery grave. So farewell legend, I was lucky to have known you.

Dwejra, Gozo


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11 comments:

  1. So sad about the arch collapsing. I've been out on similar arches in Lake Superior. Your lost reminds me of the people of New Hampshire losing the "Old Man in the Mountain" when a rock slide wiped off what appeared to be the face of a man.

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    1. I had not heard about the Old Man in the Mountain. I will need to read up on that. It's a shame that the arch was lost but it had reached the end of its natural life span and there was nothing anyone could do.

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  2. My heart goes out to You & Malta for the loss

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  3. TRAGIC.............SHE WAS SUCH A BEAUTY!
    YOU will have the memories to share with future generations!
    XX

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    1. Indeed. Thank goodness for photos and memories, dear Elizabeth.

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  4. I had heard and seen it in the news and wanted to write you, but then with me being sick, I forgot. What a pity that it was destroyed, but better by nature than by men ! If it has to be ! That's sad, it was so beautiful.

    I loved the first part of your post, about women !

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    1. Thank you Gattina. I am glad you liked it.

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  5. I am so sorry for the loss of the arch. I love your ode to Woman - beautiful 💗

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    1. Thank you Amanda. I found the ode really easy to write. It just flowed out of me :)

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  6. Hello Loree, That is a beautifully written, kind and honourable tribute to the Azure Window. You were fortunate to see it.

    Have a lovely week

    Helen xx

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Thanks for stopping by. I read and appreciate every one of your comments. I will do my best to reply whenever I can.

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