Shaqkeem the Dream

Written by: Noreen Zenhom 

Sometimes, we take things for granted. We find it easy to presume they will last forever. Unfortunately, nothing is forever, but still sometimes some things can be. We make them live on forever through memories. Karim Abou Koura is definitely one of those people who leave a mark on you, build a home in your memories and stay there forever.

June 10th, 2022- a day none of us will forget, the day we had to say goodbye to a legend. I remember seeing the first story on Instagram announcing Karim’s passing. I remember the shock I was in. I remember thinking his friends were playing a prank. I could not help but think that he left us too early. We still had so many memories we wanted to create together, so many adventures lying ahead. I could not wrap my head around the idea that I have to go through all this without him by my side.

At first, I thought that he was too young to leave us now. I was not ready to say goodbye, nor was I ever going to be. Still, I never got the chance to say my proper goodbyes. Kimo, I still wait for you to call me up out of the blue just to sing and draw a smile on my face. I wait to see you at the other end of the plaza waving at me and dancing. All in all, I wait until I meet you again.

Shaqkeem, you taught us to never take anything for granted. Your early departure taught me not to take anything for granted, to appreciate the great people who cross my path, and cherish the happy moments we share together. Your friendship was truly one of a kind, and never something anyone could have ever taken for granted. You taught us a very hard lesson of having to say goodbye to the loved ones we thought will never leave us. A lesson here to remind us that life is only but a short journey we have to pass through to go back to the light. Some cross this journey for a short period of time, only because they are angels passing by to enlighten our paths.

Kimo, you were a walking ray of sunshine, always full of amazing positive energy, drawing the brightest of smiles on the faces of those who cross paths with you. Your laugh was one of a kind- the contagious kind that forces you to laugh back even in the darkest of times, the kind you can identify a hundred miles away. You were too good for this world, for unfortunately, angels weren’t made on Earth. Karim, you were simply one of those angels that entered our lives to teach us kindness, humbleness, and love in its purest forms. You were too glorious and pure to stay any longer, but you engraved your place in all our hearts. That is why I will always be grateful for every moment I spent with you.

Today, we say goodbye to our sunshine, our friend. Then again, we realize this is not a goodbye, though, nor should it be. It is until we meet again, my friend.