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I playfully rubbed a lamp

buried deep in the sand,

close to the beach.

A mist rose from the lamp.

Out of it emerged a bluish man,

cheerful and majestic.

“What would you wish for, my master?” he asked.

“I am ready to grant three wishes.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I thought someone was playing a prank,

or staging a joke so convincing

it was hard to tell what was real.

He simply stood there, smiling.

I didn’t have much in mind.

“I wish you would set yourself free,” I said.

“Never return to the lamp.

Start a family.

Live your own life.”

The genie smiled.

“So kind of you.

Your wish will be fulfilled.

I shall never return to the lamp

where I was confined for centuries.

Now, what is your second wish, my master?”

I said,

“I wish you could erase the feeling of hatred

from people’s minds.”

The genie grew thoughtful.

“Since I am free,

I will give myself to that task.

But it is an arduous one.

Erasing hatred from a person’s mind

is like erasing words

written in the sand with the tide.

The sea washes them away,

yet someone always comes back

to write again.

Things will keep happening.

People will continue

to cultivate those thoughts.

Still, as a genie,

I will devote myself

to fulfilling your wish.”

He looked at me once more.

“And your third wish, my master?”

I said,

“I would like to have loving people around me.”

The genie smiled again.

“Once hatred begins to fade from people’s minds,

love and compassion will have more room to grow.

And those loving souls

will always find their way to you.

Your wish will be fulfilled.”

Then he disappeared.

I never met him again.