An exercise especially such a long and tormentous one should at least have something for me to seek solace in. I had 
Andrea Levy's Small Island for company.
Small Island speaks of racial discrimination in particular between the Coloureds and Whites in England after World War II. While racial discrimination is the main thrust of this literature yet the emotive and intriguing plot that centers around each of the four main characters in this literature adds a greater oomph and zest.
This book primarily speaks of acceptance and understanding for people who are different from you. It speaks of forging a bond of unification.
Small Island is indeed worth a second read.
On the last day of the exercise, I wrote something while I was on duty shift.
In the beginning...
We trudge to where we ought to go
We get lambasted for the things we do
We sleep in the wee hours of the night
We ask ourselves when will all these end
We ask ourselves why we are here
We ask ourselves why others are here
We ask ourselves why we are not somewhere else
We ask ourselves why others are not here with you
After the beginning...
Something seems misplaced
Something seems missing
Forlorn
Tears
Memories flood
Our minds start to explore a realm we hardly enter
Solace in the company you find
Comfort from the laughter around
Peace that newly unravels from the heart
When the beginning ends...
Life still ain't a bed of roses
The coffee smell still fails to wake you
Mr. reality still knocks on your door
Yet we an air of estacy lurks around us
Home
Missing you
---part two ends here---
