The poem " The Leaves " written for my friend Driss Ouaouicha, concludes Part One of " Lioness in Exile ". It is a truly satisfying feeling to have completed the over 360 stories and poems. Writing is a way for closure, if not physically, then certainly emotionally. The inward journey of trying to understand, retrace, and make sense of what happened to my family and to me within that tragic tale, has been as therapeutic as my therapist had anticipated. It gives me a sense of liberation, of the relief of having been able to become a phoenix rising out of the ashes of the devastating fire of my family's unraveling. I feel like I made it to the top of a steep mountain and can now start the descent into the peaceful valley I see ahead of me. I can now start the Long Way Home, which is the title I choose for Part Two of " Lioness in Exile ", which will express the longing to get home, that is home to the present, and home to a view for the future, now that the past is starting to fall away, a part of me, but no longer tearing me apart. The past feels now a part of me, as I made that dark journey back to the light of hope. A friend of mine in Texas once told me after reading part of " Lioness in Exile " :
" ... few people choose to sleep with their goblins... ", and I appreciated his admiration for my courage to go through that dark tunnel by myself, it was the only way I saw out of it effectively and completely. It took 3 years to finish Part One. I look forward to Part Two, and to where it will take me. I have always loved traveling. This is proving to be a very exciting journey, one that is allowing me to meet healing and renewed purpose along the way.
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