Nadia: I loved how Idres Ahmed built his poem on things that create a trilogy of our perception of the world. Once I read it, I directly connected to this photo I took in Alexandria. The photo's composition created a triadic relationship between the woman in the foreground with her inattentive look, the two young girls holding hands together, and the sea in the background. The position of the girls opening their arms, facing the vast blue-sea, responded to the second half of Idres’ poem in which he is putting trust in the young generation holding on to their dreams and hopes.
We were three: I, fear, and hope.
We were three: I, night and lightning.
We were three: I, tomorrow and yesterday.
The lightning betrayed me,
and yesterday betrayed me.
But I have placed my hope in tomorrow
and put my trust in the youth and the homeland.
I know that my people will get there,
and that flowers carry hope inside them.
I trust these fields
because their flowers do not know what withering is.
I have trusted the children with my dream;
their hearts do not break.
Idres: Human life is like a wave oscillating between hope and fear; one hopes and is optimistic about tomorrow and the beautiful things around him or her. For example, the mother in the picture is optimistic about the presence of her daughters around her and is afraid of the future. Self-confidence or the environment surrounding others depends on past experiences and ones view of the future. Lightning shines, but it cannot be trusted because it suddenly disappears. There are many things in our lives like lightning. Trust is always in things that can bear fruit in the future like fields, children, and youth.
