SHE

Written by Sreeranjini Sureshbabu, Grade 8 – L, Our Own English High School, Sharjah

An eccentric happy soul was she yesterday,

Frolicking in the antics of her own heart

Adept at spreading accord and love

Abruptly dissolves her gentle smile.

Agile in the summer sunshine grass,

How have you forgotten to smile?

Splashing in the rain puddles,

How have you forgotten to dance?

Beneath a plain old hood

Where are those ardent blue eyes?

Something seems amiss in you, my friend.

How have you fallen into your own shadow?

Where is that playful wide grin of yours?

How have you become aloof from yourself?

Accurately articulating your thoughts yesterday,

How did today turn out so different?

Oh dear friend! Where are you?

Why have you apprehended yourself?

Do not let go of your wonderful insanity,

Set fire to those shackles and break free!

*Photo courtesy Google, chosen by the poet herself

Wonderland

By Srushti Srikanth, Grade 7, BGS National Public School – Bangalore

It is a beautiful day – as beautiful as beautiful can be. The sun’s rays are warm on my skin. Butterflies are doing their mating dance in beds of grass: green, flecked here and there with brown. Birds are humming a quiet tune, and bees are buzzing around, trying to find the right flower. The sky is painted with white fluffs of clouds.

An occasional breeze blows over me, making this place feel more like heaven. A grasshopper hums in the distance, making the butterflies that had quieted down rise again to its tone. Eagles cycle the clear blue sky, and plants and trees dance majestically as the wind blows. This is nature in all her glory, as far as I know.

A cow bellows deeply in the distance. I remove my slippers and feel the grass underneath my feet – cool in some places and warm in others. I hear a cock crow. Something, an insect probably, chirps.

I am just a student, I have my exams ahead of me. But for now my thoughts drift away, all else forgotten as I enjoy the peace and tranquility that only mother nature can provide.

Photos clicked around Shrusthi’s home – her Wonderland

Transgender Rights

• Written by  Abhjith, Adnan, Sachyith & Shruthi

Yesterday I came across an ad that talked about the transgender rights. Transgender people are those who have a gender or identity that differs from their assigned gender. These people are sometimes referred to as transsexuals.

I remember the time when I was seven years old and traveling in a bus. A transgender person got on the bus, and I was terrified by the way they behaved. This is usually the way transgender people are perceived.

Before coming across this ad, I used to treat transgender people with revulsion and fear. This ad changed my opinion about them as it mainly talks about the way transsexual people are thought of, as lower than us, and how they are not treated in the same way in which normal males and females are.

This short film has taught me that no one is lesser than the other.

This brings us to the point that transgender people have been denied their basic rights. The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality have been denied. How a person wants to continue with their life is their wish. We should respect their decisions and not take away their rights.

Watch the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zeeVEKaDLM

I Woke Up with a Headache

• By Sachyit Manoj

I woke up with a headache

Seeing the gingerbread man awake.

I asked him, “What ‘re you doing up so early?”

And he said, “I just want to make my hair more curly.”

I got really annoyed at him, like most,

And all I wanted was for him to leave my coast.

I then started brushing my teeth with white chocolate,

Turned on the TV to watch Harry Potter and Goblet.

Then I went to take bath while eating my candy cane,

Just staring outside at the trees from my window pane.

Just when I saw the sun rise right above my house,

And years of hard work vanished – just like my spouse.

Wandering in the Green

 – Sreeranjini Sureshbabu, Grade 7 – L, Our Own English High School, Sharjah 

Noise of the wind rushing through leaves fill my ears

All that joy I can no more to bear

The beauty and wisdom of nature

Touch my heart mystically.

Stepping forward with a confident heart

I race through clusters of leaves

Wind gushing into my ears

Whispering words unfamiliar to me

Warm rays of sunlight on the forest floor

Urge me to the next door

I brace myself for surprises to come

As the wind passes by, jingling the green.

Creaking of twigs, splashing of puddles

One more step and I jump into a river,

Whose cold waters lift my spirits.

I soak myself to my heart’s content

As I step onto land

The current tugs at my legs

Pulling me back

Least bothered am I about it

As my life goes out of grasp

The waters carry me afar

To the verge of a not-so-high waterfall

I take a deep breath and without a thought

Dive into the blue depths.

With a heavy splash I land

Gasping I swim to the surface

Hoping for wild

Blood-curdling adventures

I swim and reach the bank

Waiting for the tug at my feet

But nothing happens

And so I go on without a destination

I walk and walk until I became breathless

And I call out to the earth surrounding me:

Oh mother earth! How wonderful you are!

Your beauty mesmerising, your wisdom profound!

You nurture me in those arms of yours….

Oh! All I want is to live forever

And seek yet more wonders awaiting me!

As I move forward

Thick dark clouds assemble, hiding the sun

A few drops fall from the sky

In no time the storm strengthens

Making this the best day of my lifetime!

I raise my arms and fall on my knees

Feeling the rain on the surroundings and self

I feel complete, at last

As the rain drops and the green

Fill the chasm of sadness

With ever-lasting happiness…

What’s in a name?

Today, we are defining ourselves. So here goes!

Ashriti [Nature loving!!]

A – Adventurous

S – Super-talented

H – Happy about everything!

R – Rainbows flying everyday!

I – Intelligent

T – Sticks to Time!

I – Interested in everything!

Shahyan

[DJ Bravo!!]

S – Super-talented

H – Honourable 

A – Acrobat

H – Humane

Y – Yorker’s bowler!

A – Adventurous

N – Nature-loving

Mehr 

[Amazing!!!]

M – Loves Melodious melodies

E – Energetic

H – Happiness all the time!

R – Rainbow cotton candy... yum-yum!

Abhijith

[Epic!!!]

A – Acrobatically talented

B – Bouncy

H – Hilarious

I – Addicted to Ice-cream!

J – Joker

I – Interested in pranking people.

T – Talented in skateboarding!

H – Horrid!!!

 

Call of the Wilderness

     Anagha Arun, Grade – 8A, Leaders Private School – Sharjah

 

Irresistible is the fragrance

Of the freshly bloomed daffodils,

That sway in rhythm

With the cool April breeze

The desire to venture

Into the bosom of nature

Lures me

But I shall not go

As something warns me

That ahead lies danger

Perhaps life threatening

The trees seem so welcoming

As the leaves whisper a lullaby

Or are they chanting a wicked spell

To poison the souls of my kindred

The ripe mangoes of yonder tree

Seem so tempting

But could they be a decoy

To lull one into a trap

Nay, I shall not go

Though the forest beckons me

I shall trust my conscience

Than follow an unknown trail.

ANVA Alliterations

• By Abhijith Harish, Grade 4C, GEMS Our Own English High School, Dubai &                         Shahyan Reddy, Grade 4M, Indian High School, Dubai

So it was a small class today, just the two of us. And we did this game on making alliterations out of Adjective-Noun-Verb-Adverb combinations.

Here’s what we came up with:

Amazing astronaut acts angrily.

Copper cup cuts curiously.

 

Frightened frog farts freakingly. 

Lonely lady laughs lazily.

1. Mad monkeys mourn mysteriously. 

An Experience beyond Words

• By Pranav Gurunathan, Grade 7/3, Cambridge International School, Dubai (CIS)

As I walk out of the aeroplane, the soothing, slow Thai breeze caresses my skin, the inviting smell of seafood enters my nostrils, and the ever-comforting Thai smile greets me. I am astonished by this country.

I ride a tuk-tuk to my hotel, photographing the beautiful Thai streets and landscape along the way.  As I get down from my tuk-tuk and pay the fare, I am astonished by the elegance of the hotel, The Grand Hyatt.  Truly grand!

After taking a quick shower in my hotel, I catch another tuk-tuk and travel to the Victory Monument, an obelisk built in 1941 to commemorate a military campaign against the French in 1941.

Social life is amazing here, with many university students and commuters gathering.  ( The grilled chicken is also delicious!) On that note, I am off to enjoy what came to my mind as soon as I entered Thailand, FOOD!

My next destination is the secretly hidden Issaya Siamese club that I can only reach by travelling through narrow roads. Once I reach my destination, I am pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is inside a 100-year old house and surrounded by a tropical garden.

With many rooms for parties and a common dining room, this restaurant is superbly organized. The staff are great and the food cooked by Chef Ian Kittichai is even better. ( You should try the Kanom Dok Mali! Yummy!)

After the meal, I am in the mood for a sleep. I catch a taxi and sleep lazily in the rear seats, while I am taken to my hotel.

The soft bed in the hotel puts me to sleep and finishes off a great day.

One of the numerous Thai street food markets

The Gorgeous Country of Thailand

• By Siddharth Anand, Grade-7, Cambridge International School – Dubai

A warm hello from the beautiful paradise of Kao Tao! It has been an insane week here at Thailand. I knew since the moment I got out of the airport that coming here was the right decision, and that this holiday would be an unforgettable one. Our cabbie took us to a hotel on the shores of Kao Tao.

The real adventure was yet to begin.

Not one to procrastinate, I jumped at the chance to sunbathe. I am now sitting under an umbrella and watching the picturesque view in front of us. Seas of turquoise expand, merging into the blue skies at a point – so soothing for my eyes to see.

The orange sun is now making its dramatic exit, bleeding into the water. To make the view picture perfect, the waves crash repeatedly onto the sand, spraying droplets of water on me.

Probably the best feature of Thailand for a person like me is the food. At every meal they serve us different meat, each better than the last.  The standout, definitely, is the chicken sautéed with barbecue sauce, which is ambrosial. To accompany that, they serve us a different cocktail with each main course. This has been on my bucket list from a long time, and it is really worth the wait.

Rainforest, tropical islands, coconut trees, mountains, coral reefs – it is really amazing how many things a country as small as Thailand can fit  into its land, and how splendid it looks, all in all.