I love creating and performing poetry because it is a way for me to escape from the real world. When I am expressing myself through my writing, I don’t feel the pressure of others telling me what to say; I can just be myself and say exactly what’s on my mind.
When I listen to poetry, I don't have to understand all of it because the poet is showing their own feelings through their writing.
When I first started writing poetry, I was a quiet person and did not speak much to others. As I continued writing in my free time, I felt myself becoming more and more confident.
Poetry gave the courage to break out my shell. Finally, I found myself. When I am writing, I feel like a whole new person, because I can speak my mind and feel strongly about it. When I am standing on the stage and performing my poetry, I see the emotions in the audience’s eyes. I can connect to them and change their point of view in that very moment. Poetry has changed my life for the better and I hope to transform the world even more with my own poems and performances. Taking creative writing helped me expand my poetry and improve my grammar while clarifying my thoughts.
That’s why classes like this are important. I strongly believe that we should have more of these types of classes in education. I think that schools should have classes about poetry and have one night in which everyone can come together to perform their slam poetry that they have written.
Hijab
by Amina Aden
A swirl of colors and silk surrounding and flowing as a halo is the hijab
But more than art, it is meaningful in many ways.
The beauty of the hijab is knowing you are being yourself,
wearing what you desire to wear and not what others think about you.
The color and the way it’s designed, is beauty
The word hijab could have many different meanings, but to me
Hijab is modesty, dignity, safety, beauty and protection of women.
Many of my people wear the hijab because of religious reasons, to be closer to Allah.
But beside all that, protection of women is the absolute reason to wear the hijab.
I could be a doctor, teacher or police officer, no one will notice and I would just be recognized as another Muslim woman with a hijab.
My hijab is my pride and also the identity of my fellow Muslim women.
Hijab is a symbol for all the world to see we are not afraid to come out.
The hijab is not worn to please people but to please our God.
The belief of the hijab is not to bring attention to yourself.
With the hijab, we already feel like there's no other beauty in the world than us.
So don’t be afraid to show who you are.
The hijab is the symbol to protect you from harm and to let the beauty inside you show to people how smart, kind, joyful, and beautiful you are.
People with a hijab should be proud of themselves and should never put themselves down.
We should never feel left out because of our hijab.
Hijabs are our pride and our identity.
Don't let a guy change who you are. Be strong and confident with what you wear. The hijab is just not an outfit, it has many other meanings.
The hijab doesn't cover up a girl’s weakness, it just shows how strong and brave she is.
Hijabs don't show how religious I am, it just keep reminding me that I'm Muslim.
Amina Aden is a student at Lewiston High School.
