For one of our harder assignments we were asked to write a poem in the style of one of the most famous poets of all time, Rumi. For our Rumi poems we had to go to a site online and read through some of his poems. Then we had to chose a poem that we liked and then we had to write our own version of the poem, but with our own wording. The reason that I found this harder to complete than some of the others was because I found that the wording and symbolism that he used in his poems where actually harder to master than it looked like. The poem that I chose to imitate was a poem about life and asking why cling to life if it hurts to when you will be brought back in a different form when you die.

So here it is:

Do You Need To hold on to It?(My Poem in the Style of Rumi)

By Gus Dotson

Do you need to hold on to it?

It is worn and wasted

You have torn and ripped it

It is ragged and useless

Why hold onto it

The wind will take your soul

And you will live on

One life, Then another and another

You could live on in happiness

Never ending peace

You could be calm

You would never have to cripple and crinkle

You would never die

So why hold on?

During a free writing period I decide to write a poem about my dog. For this poem I decided to base it off of my dogs traits. so I thought of some of his more prominent traits like how he is smart, fast, agile, and brave (just to name a few). then I decide that it would sound even better if I connected these traits to other living beings. So once I had all the traits matched with another thing I then had to figure out the best wording for it. That was probably the easiest part because I had most of the words and all I had to do was use some filler words to transition form one simile to the next

So here it is:

Treble is Trouble:

He’s like a snake, you can not grab him

He’s like stag, you can’t outrun him

He’s like a wolf, wild, brave and swift

He’s like an old man, he knows more than many

He’s like Houdini, he will always escape

He is Treble.

A personification poem is a poem where you give something that doesn’t have a set of characteristics its own characteristics. For our Personification poems we took a ten minute walk and took photos of things that we saw that we thought we could personify. Then when we got back to class we had to chose what the object that we chose would feel like and act like

Then once that was done we started to write. For mine I chose to write about sign that I found attached to a rail beside some stairs.

So now that you know that here it is:

Why a Sign

Why did you leave me here

I wish I still had a purpose

I just sit here waiting for you

You could at least say “Hi”

You used to love me

I would work all day for you

But now I am useless

And you don’t love me

I could have been a black card

I could have been a knife

I could have belonged to a jeweler

I could have been a key chain

I could have been a dollar coin

But I’m just a rusty old sign

For this poem I was trying to write in the style of one of my classmates who’s name is Armant. To do this I had to reach into the “depth of my soul” and find my inner dark side. then I had to channel this dark side to writing a poem about the death of my dog. For about 2-3 years after my dog died every time I thought of him I would begin to cry. So writing this poem helped get all that of my chest but in a way it also made these feelings stronger. so most of the time I can keep from crying out loud but my eyes will still water up every once in a while. For righting this I really had to try and remember some of my most fond memories with him, then I had to turn that into something I would write into my poem.

So Now that I have explained that, this is my poem:

Goodbye Toddy

By Gus Dotson

Goodbye, I will miss you

I wish you had stayed longer

You were like my brother

You were like my trusty steed

I would ride you round the house

You were with me all my life

I hope you will be happy

I want you to come back

I will always miss you

But I still love treble

For our Shabanews Project we were asked to write an article using a topic from a news article, but then you had to connect the theme of the article to a heme in Shabanu. So my group chose “Business”. Then we were also asked to film a news cast or record a radio program. So my group chose to film a news cast. If you would like to watch the video I will put it at the end of the post.

So here is the script for the video if you would like to read it.

Script (we did some improv but it is basically the same as the video):

Intro: Theme song

Armant: Hello this is Zakariyya Darzi here at Global News. Business has been off the charts. Here in Pakistan we have seen the finest camels on the face of the earth. Oh, James Adams is down at the Sibi fair. Let’s go take a look.

Gus: Hello, I would just like to say that out here we have the finest camels. But by far there is one camel salesmen who trumps them all.

(Cut into interview)

Gus: Hello Mr. Abassi What is it that you do exactly to make your camels so great.

Will: Well you know it’s hard to train camels. But I don’t think of my camels as camels I think of my camels as family.

Gus: I have heard that you have been known to SLAP your daughter. Is this true

Will: Yes it is true. The reason I slap my daughter is because you need to teach discipline in some way. And I feel this way works just fine.

Gus: I was wondering why did you chose to become a camel farmer when you could have chosen any job?

Will: Well my father was part of the Nawabs Camel Corps and so I guess I always had a connection with camels and formed an unbreakable bond.

Gus: Thanks. Now back to Konrad

(cut back to Konrad)

Konrad: Hello, my name is Talib Omar and there is a humongous storm about to hit the Cholistan Desert. We advise staying in your huts and houses and not going outside at all costs. This is also is affecting businesses all around the desert. This is going to be a tough year for the camel business. All of the camels at the sibi fair or traveling back from the sibi fair will be decimated. Back to you Zakariyya Darzi.

(Cut to Armant)

Armant: Well that’s all for today folks thanks for listening and come back tomorrow for another report on this sand storm.

End Script

In the article we talked about similar things but it had some other things in it

Here is the Article:

Business in the Middle east

Oct. 3, 1983

What’s the first thing that you think of when you think of business? You probably just thought about a car salesman or a man in a suit. In the Middle East business is a whole different market. Instead of people in fancy suits, camels are the biggest attraction in this desert. They don’t have any cars so (other than walking) camels are the main way of transportation. We went down to the 1983 sibi fair and searched far and wide for the finest camels. There are thousands of camels in the sibi fair but one stood out the most. His name was Gulaband. Many a man tried and tried to haggle with Mr. Abbasi for Guluband but he is such an amazing camel that nat a single person has given a high enough price. Because Mr. Abbasi has so many high quality camels many people can’t afford his camels, so they visit a man by the name of Muhammad Shahzada who also has high quality camels just not quite the same as Mr. Abbasi.

Another attraction to the Middle Eastern people is the clothing. Although these clothes do not come in mainstream brands there are many high quality companies out there. The street venders and store keepers make a lot of money with these items because all you need to make them is a loom and some yarn. It’s sort of like shoes. Everybody has at least a pair. It is also sacrilegious not to wear them.cover your head so the the vendors know that there will always be buyers.
This concludes this column of “Business in the Middle East.” If you found this article interesting then tune in next week for more. Thanks and remember to buy your Chadrs.

“A manifesto is a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, asone issued by a government, sovereign, or organization.” quote from dictionary.com

In this book I will be teaching you how to raise a tough and hard working daughter. First off If you want to have a daughter that is a perfect child that never breaks the rules you should not take this advice. So first of all you will need a daughter (I will be my daughter using Shabanu.) So I feel that you should start their teaching early. I believe that if you introduce them to animals then they form a strong bond that will last forever. This bond I’d important because the animals can help your child though times of trouble and give them a place where they feel safe. Next I believe that you should train your animals to love humans as much as the humans love the animals. The reason I say this is because then your child will feel wanted and welcome when they feel thrown out by others. I also know that if you want a hard working daughter then you must make them go through troubles without your help. For example I knew that one of our camels was due in one day so I sent Shabanu to watch the camels so that she could go through the trouble herself an learn for the future (My proof that this happened is from page 16 it says “I don’t know how long it takes, but by the time his back legs are free he is bleating and wriggling, trying to stand. I bite the cord freeing him forever from his dyeing mother.”) and last but definitely not least I believe that girls should marry young and stay happy with their husbands all their lives.

The End

The water is running low in the well so we will have to leave for Hamir’s today. This morning I watched as Phulan and Shabanu getting water from the well, it pained me to see how day dreamy and helpless Phulan has become. Phulan couldn’t even pull on a cord but Shabanu was able to pull and Shabanu is a year younger than Phulan. I hope that Hamir will still love her even though she has become so lovestruck and almost helpless. I know that Shabanu will make a good wife for Murad for she is hard working and will always try to help with the work. I have also noticed that auntie has been quite tired and has been growing larger by the week, and I believe that she is going to have yet another child. I hope for her case that it is a boy, although I do wish she wouldn’t always brag about her sons and husband. I have so much on my mind and how I wish for a calm day back at our hut and to go and bathe in our toba. I also miss Guluband, I might have sold him to the man from Wardak but it pained me to do so and I grief for him every night out of sorrow even though he has probably already died on a battlefield as the rangers said “And the Russians fly over in helecopters shooting every pack animal.”

Source: Click here to see my source

Thisis my plague letter. we worked onour plague letters for 2 weeks and they are an example of our third quater writting work.

May 12, 1349

My Dear Wife Jane,

How are you? I have watched this curse sweep through the peasants and serfs, and now it is reaching the free men. Has it reached you? I saw one of the servants with bubbles of pus the size of a hen’s egg in his armpits and on his groin. He asked me to pop them, and being a knight, I had to. It was disgusting. There was pus filled with pockets of blood spewing out of the bubbles as I pierced the wretched things with a sharpened stick. When I was done, the servant wiped the pus and blood on his pants, and he went back to work. I heard that two days later he died in deep agony. He is just one of many who have died recently.

There has been a sickly smell in the air. It is the smell of death. I have watched men walk through town whipping themselves until they gush blood, for they believe they must punish themselves as Jesus was once punished on the cross. I have seen these men whip onlooker as well because they believe everyone should be punished so that they can be closer to Jesus. I think they are crazy. I have watched such men pummel peasants to the ground. They beat them until they are covered in blood and unconscious. These men call themselves Flagellants.

The other day I talked to a physician in town who said that this plague is caused by evil vapors, which Gallen called Miasmas. The physician said that to ward off the vapors I should stay near fire and rub sweet smelling flowers on my skin. Especially near my face. I command you and James to do this for I could not stand to lose both my wife and son.

I watched a man in town die. As he died he was shaking like he was doing the dance of the dead. I hope that you and James have not had as bad experienced as to have to watch things like this. I have also seen the graves. They are wretched holes that are about 6 ft deep and filled with bodies. When the grave diggers come down from the mountain they look like procession of grim reapers. When they cover the holes you can sometimes still see the fingers or feet and arms or legs of the dead.

I feel that me being your husband I need to visit you so I am coming to visit you in two weeks time. I hope the servants at the country manner have treated you well with me not there. I received a letter from the huntsman he tells me that he has slayed the finest deer in the forest for you. I also heard the one of the towns that is but 30 minutes from you has this epidemic.

I truly hope that you will not be cursed with this illness

Love from your husband,

Sir William