Epic Simile

The elongated leaves of the tree protected me as a mother bird protects her child from the brutal harshness of the world. I was as a baby bird, sheltered from anything overwhelming until it is time to plunge into the world. All the while, the baby bird is left without a single apprehension thinking of nothing but its mother, its protector. The enormous leaf fell on my already aching head, and I knew I was left unprotected once again.

Samar Al Ansari
GRADE 9.2

Visit the Site

If you miss Samar, day or night
Don’t hesitate! Just log into her website
She’ll be greeting you as her blog comes to sight
With her charming smile and a face full of light
You’ll find her shinning in each picture, quite bright
Glowing through her words like the sunlight
You’ll feel some sadness, but it’s alright
As you’ll soon feel comfort, even if slight
When the memories vividly rush so bright
Then you will realize what a delight
It was for you to visit her web site.


Randah R. Hamadeh ©, 2010, Copyright
Written in loving memory of my daughter, 
Samar Ahmed Al Ansari (4/4/1988-4/9/2006)

Companions

What do I see?
What do I feel?
Is she here with me?
Is this real?

Soul by soul we wander,
each in different realms
attached by cords of gossamer
stronger than steel.

Gates of life swing open
on so much I cannot tell
unless I let my senses
detect what is more real.

More real than this life only,
more real than breath and bone,
with her spirit my companion,
I do not walk alone.

by Genesse Bordeau Gentry, 2009 ,Copyright©

Catching the Light

كل عام وأنت بخير حبيبتي

كل عام وأنت بخير حبيبتي


العيد أتى..... أينك لتطلي


بملابسك الجديدة المعطرة بالفل؟


كم للقاء الأقارب بالعيد تشوقت


وكم من مرة للسوق ذهبت


وأزهى الملابس للعيد اخترت


.وأجمل تحية للأهل أهديت




أمي، لا أظن أنك شيئا نسيت"


اعرف انك تتألمين كلما تذكرت


أشعر بما تخفين وبما أظهرت


وأعلم أنك لقدوم العيد حزنت


وان الجميع سعداء بالعيد إلا أنت


"أسمعك تعاتبيني قائلة "لماذا رحلت؟

 أما بحالك وحالي أمي رأفت؟


فأنا لن أعود أمي مهما تكدرت


لكني معك بروحي أينما التفت


أحوم حولك، أما بي شعرت؟


قبلتك على خدك ومن النوم أفقت


وكنت أول من يهنئك بالعيد فبكيت


امسحي دموعك رفقا بقلبي الذي أحزنت


ورفقا بإخوتي اللذين سيتألمان إن تألمت


أعلم أنك لن تفرحي بالعيد حتى لو حاولت


أمي، أناديك بصمت فهل كلماتي سمعت؟

"اشتقت إليك أكثر مما اشتقت"


رنده ربحي حماده
(أم سمر)
جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة© 2010

بعض ما قال ابن الرومي في رثاء ابنا لم يذكر اسمه

حماه الكرى هم سرى فتأوبا

فبات يراعي النجم حتى تصوبا

أعيني جودا لي فقد جدت للثرى

بأكثر مما تمنعان واطلبا

بني الذي أهديته أمس للثرى

فلله ما أقوى قناتي وأصلبا

فان تمنعاني الدمع أرجع الى الأسى

إذا فترت عنه الدموع تلهبا



Compare and Contrast Paragraph

From the few points I’ve heard about the main characters of my tablemates’ novels, I have learned that their main characters and my main character share many differences as well as similarities. The main character of my novel “Habibi, Liyana Abboud, is an insecure, confused girl, who is scared about staring a whole new life. My tablemates’ main characters are all teenage boys. One of them is a trouble maker, the other is simply tough, and the last one is a week rejected person who gets into a lot of fights. Unlike the first two characters, Liyana isn’t tough or secure about herself and her personality. She keeps referring to her self as a “half –half”, because her father is Palestinian, while her mother is American. She doesn’t seem to know who she is, and she seems scared of sharing her path of self discovery. She has something in common with the rejected boy, because he too seems to be scared and confused. The other two boys seem to be sure of themselves. My tablemates’ main character s all seem to get into trouble, while Liyana is a girl who accepts everything, but keeps her emotions bottled up inside. As for the setting of my novel and my tablemates’ novels, they are very different. The setting of “Habibi” is in a neighborhood in St Louis, but will soon change to Jerusalem, Palestine. It takes place in a modern day, in an urban society, but will soon change to a society which is a more of rural and urban societies. The settings of my tablemate’s novels all take place in modern day high school, in an urban society as well.


Samar Al Ansari
Grade  9.2
6/1/ 2003

An apology from Samar

قارئة الطالع

" قارئة الطالع، أخبريني بما ترين"

أرى أنك من بلاد المقدس، فلسطين

عيناك تدل بأنك فقدت أحد البنات أو البنين

ظلمك الدهر فأصبحت من المنكوبين

قلبك مكسور، معذب، ملتاع وحزين

همك ثقيلا لم أر مثله طوال السنين

إلا أنك رغم قسوة الدهر، من الصابرين

عطرك طيب كعطر الفل والياسمين

قرأت طالعك ثلاث مرات كاملين

وتأكدت أنك من المقهورين والمعذبين

©رنده ربحي حماده

(أم سمر)
جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة
2010

November 2010

ابن الرومي في رثاء ابنه الأوسط - تكملة

لقد قل بين المهد واللحد لبثه

فلم ينس عهد المهد إذ ضم في اللحد

ألح عليه النزف حتى أحاله

إلى صفرة الجادي عن حمرة الورد

وظل على الأيدي تساقط نفسه

ويذوي كما يذوي القضيب من الرند

محمد ما شئ توهم سلوةً

لقلبي، إلا زاد قلبي من الوجد

أرى أخويك الباقيين كليهما

يكونان للأحزان أورى من الزند

إذا لعبا في ملعب لك لذعا

فؤادي بمثل النار من غير ما عمد

فما فيهما لي سلوة بل حزازة

يهيجانها دوني وأشقى بها وحدي



Centers

Jessi and Malory are alike: They are both nice. They both like to read novels and they are both good friends.

Jessi and Malory are different in that Jessi likes to dance and Malory likes to write novels. Jessi is an African American and Malory is white. Jessi comes from a small family while Malory comes from a large family.

Samar Al Ansari
Grade 5D
May 9, 1999

عذرا أم كلثوم

عذرا أم كلثوم ، كوكب الشرق والغرب

الجميع من حولي يتطلع إلى ليلة من الطرب

تصدح فيها أغانيك بصوت نجمة العذب

أغانيك التي أطربتني و ملايين من العرب

واليوم لا مكان لها في قلبي المكسور المتعب

فكيف أطرب وابنتي رحلت إلى الرب

والدم ينزف من فؤادي الجريح المكتئب؟

تلك الأيام رحلت ولن ألقاها بالدرب

!فحبيبتي ذهبت قبلي، انه لأمر عجب

واصطحبت الشجو عندما قضت إلى النحب

"عودي وغني " سمر شمس مشرقة بالقلب

عودي واشدي " سمر شمس لن تغبِ

"تركت إرثا من الذكريات والحب
©رنده ربحي حماده

(أم سمر)

2010 جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة



Bereaved Arab Families and Friends

  Bereaved Arab Families and Friends

Now on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Bereaved-Arab-Families-and-Friends/117862178274455

Writing Center

I was watching T.V. when I heard a noise outside so I went out and I saw a dog. It was very weak and thirsty so I gave him some water and biscuits. Then I took him outside, but he came back in. The next day I took him to the vet and he was so scared that he ran out, then we took him back in and they put him for sale. Now from time to time I visit this poor dog.


Samar Al Ansari
Grade 5D
1998

أفل بدري

دموعي لألئ عالقة على رمشي

وفاجعتي أحملها حين أقف و أمشي

لساني يناديك مع كل حرف بنطقي

معبرا عن شدة ألمي و كثرة شوقي

رأسي المهموم لا يستطع حمله كتفي

ولوعتي جلية ، لم يعد هنالك ما أخفي

نار البلية تحرق روحي و جسمي

والمصيبة أصبحت كنيتي واسمي

الدم في عروقي صارخ يسري

يناديك لتعودي وتفكي أسري

سجينة الحزن فقدت معك عمري

لا أحد يعوضني عنك يا سمري

إن فقدك قد كسرني وأشقاني يا ابنتي

وليس هنالك ما يخفف من لوعتي

كل خلية في جسدي عليك تبكي

وتتضرع إلى البارئ وتشكي

الأرق يرافقني حتى طلوع الفجر

.والراحة هجرتني بعد أن أفل بدري

©رنده ربحي حماده

جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة 2010

(أم سمر)



More from Gibran

Wear not the black of mourning
But rejoice with me in white rainment.
Speak not in sorrow of my going
But close your eyes and you shall see me among you,
Now and forever more.
Lay me down upon leafy boughs,
Raise me high upon shoulders,
Then lead me slowly to the wild places.
Khalil Gibran
A Tear and a smile

Samar's Drawings(39),8th grade

Synopsis on Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin is viewed by some as the Russian savior, but he is also viewed as the definition of cruelty. An ironic turn of events happened as a result of the Bolshevik Revolution. The Russians were tired of Czar Nicholas’s absolute rule and a revolution was led against him. But, Joseph Stalin ruled as an absolute ruler for almost 30 years. Joseph Stalin is a name associated with totalitarian rule, for he was the absolute ruler. Anything and anyone in his way was immediately destroyed.


Despite his status as a leader, he came from humble beginnings. He was born to peasants in the province of Georgia. His father worked as a shoe maker, and his mother as a maid. He was not an exceptional student, for he was not an intellectual. But one thing for certain, he was a man of action. He adopted Stalin, “man of steel”, in 1912.

Stalin did not take part in the Bolshevik Revolution, but joined Lenin’s cause in 1919. Later, he rewrote history and said that he did take part in the Bolshevik Revolution. He did have a role in the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1920. He was later appointed as Commissar of Nationalities. He remarried at the age of 30 after his first wife died.

In 1920 the Bolsheviks were victorious, but soon food became scarce. Some began to wonder about the food that Lenin promised. Bolsheviks eliminated religion in order to increase their control over the Russians. In 1922, Stalin was appointed the Party Secretariat. He soon began to appoint people that were loyal to him in order to maintain control. Lenin suffered a stroke and wrote in his will that he did not want Stalin to rule, Trotsky was the most favorable. Stalin acted quickly by forming an anti-Trotsky alliance, and an alliance with the conservatives. He became leader after Lenin’s death and Trotsky was driven into exile in 1927.

As leader, Stalin began his 5 year plans, and imposed collective farming. Kulaks, people against this idea, were punished or driven into exile. Food grew scarce in the collective farms, and as a result of the famine many turned to cannibalism. Stalin denied the famine.

Stalin used terror and propaganda to maintain power. He enforced gulags, or labor camps, in which people worked to death. He once said, ‘Death solves all problems. No man will result in no problems.’ When questioned about how long he will continue to kill people that were in his way he said, “As long as necessary”. He began to purge intellectuals. In 1936-1938 he began his “show trials”, in which he sent many Bolsheviks to trials. It was the ultimate psychological mind game, the Bolsheviks would confess to crimes they didn’t commit after long periods of torture. In 1940, Stalin sent one of his men to kill Trotsky in Mexico; Trotsky was killed with an ice pick. Stalin blamed his terror on an overzealous police force. Stalinist Russia was filled with propaganda posters, edited pictures, and basic control of sources of information. The Russians were indoctrinated by Stalinist policies.

Stalin’s wife knew of Stalin’s ruthless ways, and it is believed that she committed suicide. Some believe that Stalin killed her after an argument. Stalin had an alliance with Hitler during the beginning of WW1, but after the surprise German invasion of Russia, Stalin had no choice but to forge an alliance with the allies.
Samar Al-Ansari
Grade 11.5  

Please come back

Please come back
even if
for few moments,
I pray.

As a parent,
I took your life
for granted
and never imagined
that you’ll ever leave before me
even by one day.

With your departure,
not only had I lost a part of me
but many other losses
And now my old self
seems so faraway…

There aren’t any words
that can express how distraught
I am, or images that
can adequately portray
my yearning for you
and for the moments
we shared in sadness,
joy or play.

By going unexpectedly
away,
You gave me no chance
to tell you
all what I wanted to say.

I wish to apologize
if I ever caused you
any dismay
and also want you to know
that I think of you
night and day.

Even though,
you’re in my heart
and forever you’ll
stay,
I want you to
please come back
just for few moments
I pray.

Come back to hug me
and tell me
“Mother, I am okay”.
And for me to hold you
for a moment,
in my arms
and say all what
I need to say.

Or better,
come back to affirm
that your death
is just a hearsay
And that you
went on a trip
and that is why
you were away.

Randah R. Hamadeh, 2010, Copyright©

October 2010