Karoun, Karoun, Karoun E

In an indirect way, I have been thinking about Ani today. Well, holiday times are always full of times lived already; they are also full of times lost in their own pace. Sometimes, even full of times emptied into an emptier space. To create the loss of feeling.

I am thinking of Ani, because of her love for flowers. When Irises were in bloom, she would run outside in her 5th-grader uniform, cut a flower, wrap the stem in a wet paper towel, wrap the paper towel in aluminum foil, and with the radiant green-blue of her eyes say “It is for my English teacher -- she looooves flowers”!
… Today a colleague was discussing the subtleties of Gardenia flower scents in various fragrances. I like Gardenia scent very much-- it reminds me of my childhood near the Mediterranean. Ani loved Gardenia scent too, I think primarily because I like it. It was a bonding thing-- one that helped us talk about gardening and getting our hands dirty with mud. It was Ani’s way of talking grown-up talk.

I am thinking about Ani because our conversation this morning, somehow, drifted from the Mediterranean to Asia Minor, to Mount Ararat, Lake Sevan, and Armenian traditions. As I was listening to my colleague talk about these places and topics, I kept hearing Ani sing the only Armenian song she knew. It was a simple popular song I had taught both her and her brother when they were 4-years of age. Greg could not care less about it, but Ani got very good with the pronunciation. And she had a sweet voice too.
… So today, the eve of holidays, I remembered Ani without planning to. It was because of Gardenia flower, “old-country” stories, Mount Ararat, and the Chapel on the island on Lake Sevan.
Sometimes a scent fills that empty space where space got lost, one July day…

December 18, 2008