To Love by Ikbale Bouziane

I love how numb my feet felt when I walked around a small town in a frozen winter day, but I also love the warmth of February sun on my skin while awaiting my ride back home. I love the spicy taste of a hot cup of cider after picking up my first Christmas tree, and that of my mother’s sweet mint tea after a good night’s sleep. I love the flavors of fudge, hard candy, and chocolate covered fruits in the nice old woman’s ”Specialty Sweets” shop. I also love wondering in the Souk nearby and getting lost in the scents, colors, and people’s greetings. I love the giant bruise I got on my butt when I first went ice-skating, but I also love it when I am confidently riding a camel above golden dunes. I love that adrenaline rush in my veins while watching people from the peak of an observatory tower. I also love feeling the wind in my hair after a long, but rewarding hike through an Argan forest. I love getting lost in the woods by a stillwater river. I also love spending days in the valley chilling under palmtrees. I love how beautiful life gets when I am surrounded with the right people. I also love how life plays me, and how wicked the days can get.

I love the willow tree behind my dorm before it got uprooted by the storm. I also love the orange tree nextdoor before my neighbor cut it down to build a bigger garage for his new car. I love the storm. I also love my neighbor.

Written by Ikbale Bouziane (Morocco), a 2017-2018 Global UGRAD student at the University of Maine.