Setting

1770-1760 BC

I walked into Hammurabi's palace and I could'nt believe what I saw. It was a two -story house that held over three hundred rooms. I walked into richly decorated throne room.  The floors and walls were covered with reed mats, skin rugs, and woolen hangings. There were beautiful low tables and high back chairs everywhere, which were decorated with gold. His house was different than my simple one- story, mud brick house. There were also beautiful bronze statues of Hammurabi’s ancestors.

A servant came up to me, holding a plate of apples, pears, grapes,  figs, plums, pistachios and pomegranates. I wasn't very hungry but I took my favorite grapes just to be respectful.  The grapes tasted so fresh and sweet, like they were just plucked of the tree. The sweetness went through my tongue like a blade. I was offered some wine, but I declined because I don't trust anything that doesn't already exist on earth. I took some water, it tasted wonderful, it was cold and fresh, it truly quenched my thirst. I recognized that water; it was from the Euphrates River.

I began to touch my surroundings because everything was so strange to me. I touched the bronze statues and placed my hand all over them trying to get the sculptor’s feel. They were smooth and cold. I touched the skin rugs, and they felt so soft and warm against my tired hands.

I heard the beautiful music of the servants/ music of Hammurabi. I heard the drums, tambourines, and pipes of reed and metal. I also heard the voice of a beautiful lady praising Hammurabi in her song. It sounded beautiful and it intoxicated me to the extent that I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing.

I smelled the beautiful smell of incense. It felt like a flower that has just blossomed in my nose. I was in paradise. I could also smell the smell of the lamb being cooked, my mouth began to water, and my appetite just opened up. Aah!

Samar Al Ansari

Grade 9.2

March 8, 2003

في مكة التقينا

حلمت بأننا كنا بيت الله قاصدين

لنعتمر في مكة ونؤدي شعائر الدين

هذا هو حلمي الذي أردت به تظهرين

أتيت به لتؤكدي و تُذكرين

.بأنك معي حبيبتي في كل حين

كنتِ نائمة على السرير فقمت تنادين

" أمي...أنا هنا معك، ألا تصدقين؟"

هرعتُ إليك وإذا بذراعيك تطوقيني    

 وإلى صدرك الحبيب تضميني

شعرت بدفء قبلاتك على جبيني

ورويتِ بعض الظمأ الذي في شراييني

الهي! رأيتك ولمستك يا نور عيني

.لحظات اسعدتيني، تخيلتك حقيقة تكلميني

!ما أجمل لقاءنا عند بيت رب العالمين

لقاء قصير لم يشبع الوله والحنين

ليته  طال كي تبقي ولا تفارقين

.وتمكثي معي وقتا أكثر قبل أن تتركين

رنده ربحي حماده

(أم سمر)

جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة© ٢٠١١

The New Me

If you can't accept the "New Me",

From our friendship, I’ll set you free.

I am now a bereaved mother,

you can't alter this, don’t bother.

I had no choice, but to change

And all the pieces in my life, re-arrange

The tragic loss that I had to face

Ripped my heart from its place.

I had to adapt to my new self,

And all the aspects of my new life, itself

I was forced to accept my great loss

And the new path I had to cross.

Nothing is worse than losing a child

Thank God I didn’t lose my mind

I can't help but be the "New Me",

Sorry if that’s what you don’t expect me to be.

I'll always think of you with great love

And pray to the Lord in heaven above

That one day you’ll be able to accept

The “New Me” without sorrow or regret.


Randah R. Hamadeh, Copyright©2011
Written in loving memory of my daughter
Samar Ahmed Al Ansari (4/4/1988-4/9/2006)

November 2011

نقطة فاصلة

ما زلت معي يا ولدي...فاجعة حقيقية تحكايها رلى حماده 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj_VF-AgoaI&sns=em

It's My Life by Alan Pederson

It's My Life by Alan Pederson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VbR-JwFvfk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Hero of the Play

The Heroine of this play is Juliet. Juliet is the one who had to make all the major decisions and truly act like a woman. Everything was so simple for Romeo, but Juliet was the one who had to make sacrifices. First of all, Juliet was strong enough to disobey her father by refusing to marry Paris. Some might say that she ended up obeying her father at the end, but that is because she didn’t want to sacrifice yet another precious thing in her life. Juliet was not the type of person to weep over what has passed, but she was a person who took action. She went to Friar Laureee and asked for advice, then made a decision that will for sure affect the rest of her life. She decided to fake her death and lay in the Capulet tomb for about 2 days; I don’t know how more courageous you can get than that. Finally, unlike Romeo who was a chicken and drank poison to kill himself, Juliet killed herself by plunging a dagger into her flesh and dying a painful death. No one would choose a painful death over a peaceful death; Juliet did. Juliet was willing to sacrifice anything to the one thing she believed in, love.

In my opinion, Romeo didn’t understand love, and wasn’t sacrificing enough for Juliet. Everything bad in this play happened because of Romeo. Romeo constantly ran away from his problems, but Juliet had to face them like a true lady. Some might say that Juliet was a woman and Romeo was a boy. Juliet is a truly amazing character, who I look up to because she teaches us never to give up.

Samar Al ANSARI

GRADE 9.2

2003

Home by Samar Al Ansari

Home by Samar Al Ansari

Grade 9

2003

To the New Inhabitants of this Fine Island

Objective:  Use 10 vocab words in a letter inveighing against a character’s actions or life on the island in the voice of 1 of the characters, or an outsider/observer.

  To the New Inhabitants of this Fine Island,

           

            Enough is enough; for my limit has been reached.  I have tried to occult my anger for God only knows how long hoping that life on the island might change, hoping that Ralph might change.  Unfortunately, he didn’t; he still the remains the weak leader he has always been.  I have seen the weakness in his eyes since the day we first met, but you my brothers, surmise that he is a strong, able leader.

            His bombastic speeches filled with drivel may give off the impression that he knows what he is talking about, but he obviously does not.  What kind of a leader would insist on providing mediocre huts over fresh succulent pig meat?  He is not giving the people what they want, he claims he is giving us what we need, but we don’t need a roof over our heads when there is not single cloud in the sky.  We need meat, meat to make us strong enough to build those damned huts!  I have been hunting for meat on the island since the day we crashed, and I have received no words of gratitude from him to lighten the great weight I have on my shoulders.  On the contrary, he condemns me for not helping with the building of the huts. He constantly infringes on the hunting process when it is supposed to be my area of expertise.  How can I help if I am in a complete state of lassitude after a day of exhausting hunting?

            His stringent rules do not establish order in the island as he claims they will.  If that was the case, then how come the conch system is working terribly?  An old shell does not determine someone’s right to speak; that’s ludicrous. He is a callow leader, who obviously has no experience in being a leader; I on the other hand have had experience back in my school.  The way Ralph goes about things, gives off the impression that he thinks that we are going to be staying here for a millennium.  “We need shelter in case it rains…” said Ralph in one of his mind-droning speeches.  We should focus with what we want now, not think about days to come! I could give you what you want, I could ameliorate the conditions on this island, and that is why I exhort you to offer me your support.  I will give you what you want….

                                                                                    Your brother,

                                                                                                            Jack

 Samar Al Ansari

Grade 11.5

September 19,2004

Tray made by Samar

الموت

كونت معك صداقة

...أيها الموت
أصبحت تلازمني

بعد أن تسللت لابنتي بصمت

،فقدت أحلامي
.وأماني، كلها أضعت
مرت الأيام وأنت ترافقني

أمسيت أوأصبحت

يخاف الجميع التحدث عنك

لذا، للحديث عنك أقلعت

كذا هم الناس

يخشونك اذا تكلمت

لا أحد يريد ذكرك

مهما حاولت

رغم أنك الزائر الحاضر

.دون دعوة لكل بيت

معاناتي أخفيتها

والآهات بصدري خبأت

...حتى الكلام دفنته في قلبي
...قلبي الذي حطمت
لم أكن أعرف حقيقتك

ولكن اليوم أدركت

بعد أن أخذت نور عيني

وحياتي غيرت

أخذ الدمع من عيوني مسكنا

.فلا يمر يوم إلا به بكيت

©رنده ربحي حماده

(أم سمر)

2011 جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة

October 2011