Arabic for Non-Native Speakers Program, Qatar University

Learn Arabic the Easy Way!

Madina Arabic

Ahmad أحمد

Poor Gumball

You watched as the darkness of the abyss welcomed you

You felt the release of the bearings that imprisoned you sine you were formed

And yet you were joyful

The immense feeling of independence

Freedom at last

Poor Gumball

If you only knew

Your travel was short and quick

It lasted for a few seconds, yet it felt, to you,

As if an eternity has gone by without

The knowledge of your existence

Poor Gumball

By the time you reached its clutches, the joyfulness

Inside you began to flicker.

You began to sense,

As if there was a reason for concern...

Miserable wails of Gumballs who passed before

You, warned of the torture that is destined for all its inmates.

By the time the light of the situation dawned

Upon you, it was too late.

Poor Gumball

You never had a chance...

By: Ahmad Amiera

Published in the Wolf Magazine, Spring of 2007. Timber View Mansfield High School

My Inspiration, My Hero

" Known". He inspires me in many ways. He teaches honesty, kindness, religion, forgiveness, not being prejudice, and to be righteous. Even though I have never met him, as he doesn’t live in our time, he still has been there to guide me through.

Ever since I can remember, I have had to make decisions. One of these decisions includes deciding who my friends were. I grew up knowing that people are like their friends: you make similar decisions, and you tend to act similarly and be influenced by one another. This is a saying of the " Known". My parents raised me on his teachings. I used to question why my mother wouldn’t let me hang with some of my “friends”. Now, after seeing these things happen firsthand, I realize that this saying was always right. I’ve seen my “friends” smoking, drinking, and doing other illegal activities which I distanced myself from for two reasons: my respect to myself and my reputation.

Another thing the " Known" has taught me to do is forgive and be kind. When a ..... man used to trash at the " Known's land, he would simply clean it up without anger. Then one day, when the " Known’s" yard remained clean for three days, the "Known" became concerned about what happened to his neighbor. He went over to check on him to see if he was ok, and his neighbor turned out sick. He didn’t take advantage of his illness. This teaches me to forgive. I have never seen anyone do such a kind act. This astonishes me and teaches me an age-old lesson: to forgive and forget. People will start learning from you, and people will begin to respect you and see you as a role model.

The" Known" also taught ...... I have grown up with the . ....... I have not only learned to be dedicated to it, but I have furthermore learned morals. Sometimes I may be in class and the teacher is getting angry with me. Even though I know I have not wronged, I show respect while saying what I believe. In school, even though it may be hard, I do not let peer pressure influence me to not wear the cloths I choose to wear. That’s because the "Known" taught us not to dress in an inappropriate way. Once I was at the mall with my “friend”. We were going to go see a movie, Fat Albert. The lines were so long. She told me to just sneak in with her. It was tempting, but this would be against the things the "Known" taught us. I really wanted to see that movie, but instead I waited in line and got my ticket. Besides, this satisfied my conscience.

There are times I am walking in the hallway. I look around and see someone staring at me. They’ll snicker and walk away. I’ll walk and someone may ask me what I’m wearing on my head. Once, I was even asked if I was a terrorist. I saw the other people looking at me weird, and a substitute teacher even discriminated against me. When people do this, it doesn’t make me feel good. It made me understand why the"Known" taught us not to be racist against people and to respect them. Now, when I’m in class. There are kids making fun of other kids and I know what it feels like to be in their plac, so I don’t participate. If they are making fun of a ...., I don’t partake.

In conclusion, I see the "Known" as my role model. He teaches me to be honest, kind, ....., forgiving, not to be prejudice, and to be righteousness. I see him as my role model in everyday things, and I learn from him. He has molded me as a person. Everyday I learn new things. I am honored to be able to say these things about him, and I hope I can be a better person from continuing to learn more things about him which I can follow.

By Ahmad Amiera, 2007