Zainab's Writings

This poem is about Karachi, the city where I was born and raised, and where I have lived my entire life. This is probably the most honest piece I could have written about this city. I still don't feel like I have done justice to it.  Since this poem is meant to be spoken word (ie. it is written more for the ears than for the eyes), I am thinking of making it into a video with my own voice-over so people can listen to it the way I want them to hear it. Not sure if I will ever get around to doing it, though, so here's the poem anyway. --- The City by the Sea This is the city by the sea, the port city, the sea city. The sea is what it is famous and most known for. The sea is what people from all over the country come here to see. But the sea, like all precious things this city has to offer, is tucked away at its southern tip, on the other side of the bridge that divides, a luxury for the privileged. But when you see things more closely, more clearly, you see that t...

One. Sit down. On a chair, a sofa or on the floor. Pick up a pen or a crayon. Find a piece of blank paper. Let the blankness of the page and the range of possibilities its emptiness brings intimidate you. Get up. Make yourself a cup of tea. Eat a cookie. Or three. Light a cigarette. Two. After failing to distract yourself, return to the sofa. Find another blank page, because the wind blew away your first one. Now write a sentence. Cross it out immediately after; it sucks. Now pick up your paper and find another place to sit because people in the room are talking . Three. Sit down again. Bend over your piece of paper. Wince at how blunt your pencil is. Write a whole paragraph at once. Wince at how the protagonist in your story resembles yourself so much. Four. Stop wincing. Throw away your paper. Write something else. This time it turns out better than anything you could've imagined. Admire your talent for writing. Imagine how wonderful this would look published as a book....

This was a poem I wrote for an online poetry course I completed a couple of months ago on Coursera , called Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop offered by CalArts (California Institute of the Arts). I must say it was a wonderful course. I learned a lot from it and I would really recommend any poetry enthusiasts reading this to enroll...this is one course you won't regret joining! :) Anyways, so this poem was one I wrote in response to a prompt for a conceit . The prompt was called ' You Are So Conceited: When A Metaphor Isn't Tough Enough '. A conceit is basically when you write up a comparison between two totally different subjects and is a kind of extended metaphor.  I chose to write a comparison between men and sheep, and in my poem tried to highlight how similar they both are in the way they choose to walk in a herd and follow the rest of their kind instead of thinking for themselves. (Later on, however, I realized that this comparison was too simple, hehe...

So here's more poetry  I wrote over the past few days - I hope you guys aren't sick of my poems( I promise my next post will be a story excerpt, not more poetry!) Some of these poems use techniques/ are based on prompts from this really great course I'm attending at  coursera.org . This poem I wrote in early August, I think: Priority I am tired my eyelids are drooping with sleep and my brain refuses to cooperate with me, any longer every ounce of me demands bedtime Yet still, there are so many things to think about, so many poems to write, so many paintings to paint, and so many stories to tell That going to bed no longer seems a priority, anymore! * The ice of time Time, an ice block; melting away - getting smaller and smaller each passing second; ruthlessly, unceasingly, unstoppingly, Gone. * Dreams Shining, glistening, lighting up the dark. Inspiring yet distant, as far away as  the stars Constellations that...

Okay, so I'm back with more poetry! XD This is some poetry by Rumi - the famous Sufi mystic poet - from a book called ' The Rumi Collection ' which I got from a local library. It was the first time I read Rumi's poems and I really enjoyed reading them- they are so deep and symbolic! Here are the ones I especially liked: WITH US Even if you're not a seeker, still, follow us, keep searching with us. Even if you don't know how  to play and sing, you'll become like us; with us you'll start singing and dancing. Even if you are Qarun, the richest of kings, when you fall in love, you'll become a beggar. Though you are a sultan, like us you'll become a slave. One candle of this gathering is worth a thousand candles; its light is as great. Either you are alive or dead. You'll come back to life with us. Unbind your feet. Show the rose garden- start laughing with your whole body, like a rose, like us. ...

Hey guys, I'm back with another list poem! This one is called 'I draw'. Read on! I draw I draw because I want to show the world what I see I draw because I want to tell them a story I draw because I want to influence people, make a difference I draw because it helps me see things I never saw before I draw because it helps me travel into the depths of my own imagination I draw because I'm just listening to the world talking to me I draw because it gives me an awkward sense of relief I draw because it helps me understand who I am I draw because I'm fighting a battle and my pen is my sword I draw because it makes me realize that no matter who I think I am compared to the world, I'm as small as a bee I draw because it helps me make sense of things most bizarre I draw because I'm struck by a brainwave I draw because I'm sure that this idea will be a masterpiece (perhaps even my magnum opus) I draw because that's ho...

I can't believe how easy writing list poems is- you can have so much fun with them. I made this one up less than a week ago when I was furious about being underestimated by everyone just because I'm young . Then I came up with this. The words were rushing into my brain so fast that I didn't even bother to take out a notebook and just scribbled what was coming into my mind onto the writing board. Just because we're young Just because we're young we're underestimated and called little pests Just because we're young we can't be trusted Just because we're young we're called immature Just because we're young we can't drive Just because we're young we get yelled at and scolded for no reason at all Just because we're young we can't vote Just because we're young our opinion doesn't matter Just because we're young we aren't taken seriously Just because we're young we don't count Ju...

Hi guys! I'm so sorry I couldn't post here for so long- let me see... I'm posting after more than seventy days!!!  That's quite a lot. I was really busy with stuff like business and things and then there was Ramadan and well- I sort of got writer's block after that, but now its over so I'm here with one of my first catalogue/list poems. I was attending this five-day workshop at the British Council library called 'Spoken word and Language Skills' (with Spoken Stage )and there they taught us how to write a catalogue or list poem. The idea is very simple-you just have to write a list, without worrying about beats and rhythm and syllables and everything. This is the second list poem I wrote-and read aloud- at the workshop. So, here goes: Sadness Sadness is friends not turning up at twelve (even though they said they would) Sadness is not being able to post on my blog for too long Sadness is the ice cream cone that fell from my hands even before I too...

I was recently writing haiku-after a long time. First I made up one about Pakistan(that wasn't too good:( ) Then I created another one. This one was far better. :) I liked it very much XD so I decided to share it here because a haiku is short and doesn't take long to type. :D  A cozy morning Sunshine floods the room, A newspaper, cup of tea, The austere beauty

I was inspired by the green flag that fluttered on a neighbor's roof. 'Keep the flag Flying'', I whispered to myself. Then I wrote a poem. Here it is. The times are bad, People are sad. But all hope is not lost, We won’t give up-at any cost. Keep the Flag Flying! And things will improve. Our fathers’ struggle won’t be a waste, We’ve got to save it, Hurry, Make haste! Nothing for us is out of bounds, Let’s get together to nurse the nation’s wounds. Keep the flag flying! All hope is not yet lost. We all love our country, that love is enough, And even though the work seems tough, If all of us tend to do it, We’ll manage it in the end. Keep the flag flying! Nothing is too difficult. Keep the flag flying, Pakistanis!

I wrote this a few days back when I couldn't write anything but really wanted to. I stare at the blank paper, And wonder what to write. I know this will fill soon, And will be gray, no longer white. What will fill these empty lines, What will I write here? What will kill the emptiness of the blank paper's stare? I hope I write something soon, Just to fill the pages, I really hope to write soon, 'Cause I haven't written for ages!

I recently wrote two poems, one of which I created my own rhyme pattern for. This poem(it has no title yet,)is as below: Watch Where you're going, Realize what you're doing, Head for the straight path. Think before following, Think before accepting, Think, and it'll be ok. There's not only white, not only black, There are some grey parts too, There's always some good, and always some bad, in whatever we all do. Weird, eh??? I don't like this poem much, too. I don't really get what I'm trying to say-probably why it doesn't have a name. Though I like the, um, last(triplet???) part very much, because it has a better rhythmic sense than the first and second ones. The other poem, which I wrote just recently, is better. It's titled; "Nature" and it has the normal rhyme pattern. Here goes: Nature Lots of leaves and flowers, The wind and the showers, The sun so bright, the radiant moon, And fluffy clouds in the day at n...

Goes on, and ahead, And then with a mighty jerk- Stops. Never to begin again.

Thousands of Animals out there in the world, Are hopeless-starved to death, And although we're pretending not to know, We're giving those animals a threat. A threat for hunting and shooting them out, A threat for making them die, A threat that means to destroy their homes, A threat that's mean and sly. We aim to cut down all the trees, And hope to dirty the land, We try to make the earth polluted, And now it's getting out of hand. But what we're starting to forget is, That the animals live here, too, It's not their fault but they are too, Suffering with me and you!!!

A limerick is a five-lined-poem. They are very simple and easy to write, the only rules are: the first, second and fifth line, and the third and fourth line should rhyme and have  an equal number of syllables. Also, a limerick is supposed to be funny. Here is my third limerick, (my first and second are also shared on this blog, but they aren't much good.)about school and schooling. Place of education: They call it a School, A place where you're supposed to act like a fool, It's purely stupidity, oh yes, that's true, Where they are heading for; I don't have a clue, And they have great ideas, if you break a rule. Note: Remember, limerick's are supposed to be funny. Please suggest ways I could improve mine in the comments because I think advice is really important, especially when you need to get better at something. Oh, and I think it doesn't rhyme on the tone of limericks. I can't understand why....

They are not 'twinkling stars' we see, they are the satellites, It is all only god's earth, but still for rights we fight. The fertilizer laid on ground is mistaken for soil, It is the whole in ozone layer, not sun, for why we boil. Light bulbs can never replace:elegance of the moon, Heaters can not provide:warmth of afternoon. Dyed hair never looked good, everyone does it, all the same, Glamour makes you forget; meaning of life, the aim. People sometimes forget: artificial means unreal, Artificial only looks good, nature is good in real.

This is a Haiku I wrote about Friends: Somebody you can trust, Loving,Understanding, Always on your side... This is an Acrostic Poem about Friends: Favor you in every Situation Really like you Interesting people Ever so friendly Never hateful Dearest person Smiling-Almost Always

Blue is the color of bright blue Ink, Of the water in the sink, Of some eyes that wink, And of an Underlined link. Blue is the color of a ballpoint pen, Of some shirts of men, Of the deep ocean, And of the Sapphire Gem. Blue is the color of some eyes that stare, Of the sea, so clear, Of my computer chair, And of Jeans that I wear. Blue is the color of a freshly-hurt bruise, Of the Titanic Cruise, Of my brother's new shoes, And of the character, 'Blue's Clues' . Blue is the color of some whales that sing, Of some butterfly's wings, And of many other things.

This is a Haiku that I wrote about stars. A dim ray of hope, A spot of light, in the dark, Twinkling in the sky.

Maths, as some say, is an awful subject, But it's really a useful sort of concept. Though some find it really hard to be, It's not so bad, as you will see. First you'll learn how to add, subtract, and multiply, There are numbers, both even and odd, oh my!!! But soon this will be far to easy, 'Cause decimals really make your brain cheesy. You'll also be learning, volume and area, Weather and temperatures in Siberia!!! Algebra's really tricky with the ' x  and y', Though you'll get it as soon as you give it a try! But most importantly, for Maths, a brain you'll need, 'Cause Maths is the plant and your brain is the seed!