In the Shadows

In the Shadows


"When you grow up you can be whatever you want to be"
That's what they tell us, you see.
We shoot for the stars and chase our dream, 
Turns out it's just a sick, dirty scheme.


We're kidnapped and abused.
Treated like slaves if we ever refused.
We're played like pieces in a game of chess;
Checkmate. You're next.


It's the land of equality, they say;
Men and woman are treated the same way. 
Funny how wages are not the same, 
It's honestly such a shame.


How about the education females are denied?
All to become an innocent child bride,
Or maybe to help her family business thrive...
All to keep her loved ones alive.


We're the nurturers of this earth.
Without us you all will lose your worth,
Because behind every great man, 
There is a greater woman.

Mullins, Julie. "Gender Discrimination." Web. 31 Mar. 2012. 

      <http://childreninneed.com/magazine/gender.html>.

“A Voice for Syria”

Gather around brothers and sisters,

It’s time for you to hear,

About Syria ruled by an evil mister,

The evilest dude of the year.

Bashar Al-Assad equals people being shot,

He attacks people who were all unarmed,

He leaves bodies on the floor left to rot,

He lies to the world and says no one was harmed.

He tortures them to death,

He leads an evil army,

He takes the innocents breath,

Children squeal “don’t harm me.”

But where is the rest of the world,

When we are the victims of violence,

Oh yes you have your priorities twirled,

Just stay hidden in all of that silence.

So let the people peacefully protest,

And find out who are the ones who have won,

The government’s tyranny needs some rest,

All we want is Bashar to be gone!

 

 

 

"Amb. Robert Ford: Bashar Al-Assad Is Evil." The Weekly Standard. Web. 31 Mar. 2012.       <http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/amb-robert-ford-bashar-al-assad-evil_594009.html>.

Voice Poem: PALESTINE

Palestine

Gaza is in despair

As well as the West Bank, and what’s left of the State of Palestine.

We have been ostracized from our own land.

We need SOMEONE to present our problem.

Our own president works with our oppressor,

Who is speaking for us?

Who is our leader? Who is our voice?

We have been ignored for too long

We must take action

We need someone to help the oppressed

Who will it be?

We are like mice, no one can hear us, and no one can see us.

We are as invisible as air

Are we not important? We are people and we have rights.

When shall we be known?

After we are murdered? Abused? Or when we are no longer living on this beautiful land?

Who will save us?

Who will prevent more tears and more blood from spilling?

Someone take action, someone take responsibility. There must be order.

Stop the occupants end the occupation !

Kantar, Max. "The Occupation Of Palestine By Max Kantar."Countercurrents.org | Educate | Organize | Agitate . Ma'an News Agency, 26 Mar. 2007. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. <http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-kantar260307.htm>.

Voice poem: Single Parenting

This is not easy.

Especially if you are doing it all by yourself

I do have a hard time raising a child.

I come home from work

feeling frustrated and angry

but still have to provide love and care for my baby,

because I see them

unsupported, needing more attention,

and being all alone in the dark.

I want to spend more time with them

but how am I suppose to do that

when my responsibilities are getting out of hands

between home and work

I find no time for them,

it is like we are completely strangers.

I'm tired of doing the work of two.

I'm working every minute of every single day.

There is no one looking after my child,

and my child is noway to be controlled.

Sources:

"Effects of Single Parent Families". Positive shared parenting. Web. 30 March 2012.

"Single Mothers". Positive shared parenting. Web. 30 March 2012.

  

Voice Poem: Animal Abuse

Animal Abuse

“You can run, but you can’t hide!”

The screams pierce my innocent ears,

As I bask in the darkness;

Cold, hungry and alone.

My stomach growls like a ferocious beast.

The wind blows harder and harder, screeching like a starving wolf.

Today master had a bad day,

Yesterday was worse,

And the day before that was even worse.

When master is sad, mad or unhappy in anyway, I am to blame.

I am told to “SIT!”, “STAY!” and “BE QUIET!”

But I have always been sitting,

Never once have I dared gotten up,

And I am too hungry to speak.

Of course I whimpered after three days of no food and water,

What was I to do?

But when the fourth day came and master was very unhappy,

I learned that food and water was a privilege not a right.

My leg is crawling with maggots,

I don’t blame them, they need to eat somehow.

When master had a knife I was the first one to get hit.

The wound hasn’t healed and in fact has gotten worse,

I can barely walk on that leg; at least I have 3 to spare.

I am told I am “BAD!”, “USELESS!” and “DUMB!”

But what did I do wrong?

I tried to clean up the mess I made on the kitchen floor,

I tried to keep you warm that one cold winter,

I tried to warn you when the bad man came to our house.

But you told me to “SHUT UP!” and then kicked me to the sad rusty corner of what I'm supposed to call home,

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.

I just want to help you.

But no matter what I do,

It will never be good enough for you.

Source:

"Fight Animal Cruelty." ASPCA. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.

        <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/>.

The Wave

Laurie Saunders is a threat
That is when it all began..
What has this world ever become?
Letting a human being take over young souls
Uncontrollable, he pushed her down.
Hurting his girlfriend, his friend, his only hope
All of this because of one lonely soul
A leader who expressed it as a game with no harm
What he didnt realize was what he formed
A little army just like Adolf and the Nazis
Brainwashing innocent children except one
Laurie Saunders, the classroom nerd.
She fought and fought until the day she became
Confident enough to set the truth free
She started her story in a little dark room
The next day it escalated, the whole school knew the truth
Little do they know, this is a true story in truth,
What once happened in history,
Can always reoccur.

Back to Reality

Over his head,

Thats where he has gone.

Left me alone,

With not even a clue.

He may be my husband,

But he has started a plague.

And I am not responsible, but

A stand I must take.

A stand for him,

A stand for me,

A stand for the victims

Who fell so blindly.

It may be harsh,

But he needs to be stopped.

For a stand I must take,

To save himself.

From these thoughts and dreams

Back to reality.

Laurie is the One
By Ahmad

The Wave has taken almost everyone
It has taken close friends from me and even David, my hun
I knew this was a bad idea since the day it had begun
I am glad it is over and we have finally one

I felt like it was my duty to put a stop to this matter
I felt like I was alone, which made me feel sadder
I was on my way though, climbing up my own ladder
To find a solution to this problem, a cure for this cancer

I felt like I was in a zombie apocalypse
Trying to survive from those carniverous lips
Of The Wave members I was trying to end these hardships
I was the last hope of us trying to achieve our wish

To End The Wave....

The Wave Poem: Robert

Once I was alone, by myself, Now my standards test you to beat. Surrounded by many as I take my lunch seat, A prize I used to admire on the shelf. Belonging to my class Fitting in like a piece of a puzzle Who knew I could rip off my lackadaisical muzzle? I have a red X on my card, few among the mass. I don't remember how I lived before, Without the sence of a bigger meaning, Walking without seeing or hearing, The Wave set me out to soar.

This is the best title I can come up with >_< Robert Billlings Story:-

I used to be a person who was ignored and teased on.

I got bad grades and was always alone.

There was no one there by my side to keep me warm.

So I decided to be independent as a whole.

One day I was introduced to the wave.

A system that allowed people to be together.

Its significance defined three things:

"Strength through Discipline"

"Strength through Community"

"Strength through Action"

It was designed to forge a group who worked together as a team.

Always watching each others backs also in times of need.

Its currents pulled me to a place where I felt at home.

I made new friends and was happy from that point forward.

We were a team that would always stick together.

To live a better life with a better cause as I acted,

Acted through Discipline, through Community, and through Action.

 -Sohaib Khan

The Wave Poem

End The Wave
By: Laurie
The wave must now end
with the bad messages it is trying to send.
We are children and this is not right,
and if this does not stop all we will do is fight!
Things need to go back to the norm,
before The Wave hits the rest of the school by storm.
Mr. Ross, this trend that you started is bad.
You are making students like me sad.
People are changing,
but I shall remain this way, unchanging.


This has all been because of The Wave,
so let us all stand against it and be brave.

The Wave: Laurie

Confused, shocked what had this brung?
It had trapped all the naive and young
all voices had combined into one
those who didn't follow were involuntarily shunned
but I? I stood my ground
Knowing something was wrong, I was bound


One by one, I saw all my friends turn
seeking diligence and equality
excelling power and atrocity
what exactly were we supposed to learn?


But at the end the inevitable was done
history had helped us finish off, what was once, already done

The Contagion

I was... absorbed.
Captured by the vision of a utopia
So perfect, it was sickening
Suffocating, like a victim of claustrophobia.

I was...lost.
Enraptured by the thought of equality,
An ideal portrait of success.
Strong enough to bury you in your own curiosity.

I was... trapped.
bamboozled, flimflammed, scammed!
Deceived by my greatest desire,
My grasp on reality "paper jammed."

I am ashamed.
Only a wicked origin can cause such pain.
Remorse and regret cause my heart to pound.
The attempts of the one I love, in vain.

Something I thought could relieve my distress,
Swept me off my feet, nonetheless.
Crashing down, carrying me away,
A disease, a WAVE- I'm compelled to obey.

-David

The Experiment by: Youssef Rhanime

The Experiment  

To join the wave was no choice of mine.

It grew and became a part of me, over time.

We were taught to be disciplined and hone our internal power.

Regular students we were, that grew stronger by the hour.

At first everyone thought, "oh my, this is really great."

But little did we know that we would quickly begin to hate.

As more students joined, it got out of hand

People got hurt, and people got banned.

When enough problems occurred, it was time to abort.

With the help of the principal, the wave was cut short.

Although it brought us together, and heightened our academics, 

It was a dangerous game to play, almost an epidemic.

The wave in my mind, will always have its place.

It will forever be the experiment that changed our school's face.

- A Student Member of The Wave

Experiment Gone Wrong...

Think about it,
Couldn’t you see it from the beginning?
The shadow of darkness,
It shrouded the school like a cloud,
Taking all those who were willing,
And leaving the rest to drown in fear,

The power and success took the school by surprise,
It made others change, and not for the better,
It started off great, but the good was just a disguise,
No one really thought twice about it,

Then came the cry of confusion,
Whispering in my ear,
“This is bad,” “This is wrong,”
And finally, my eyes opened,

I tried my very best to make the others aware,
They didn’t listen, to stubborn to care,
All they saw was power,
It went to their head,

Finally someone listened; it really had gone too far,
I was so relieved when those students were stunned
By the truth they avoided,
My eyes still open, watching that video end,
It was an experiment gone wrong.

lauri Saunders

lauri is a confident girl 

and very independent in a big world 

she is very fearless and smart 

and very popular because of her big heart 

she is friendly and polite

and respectful throughout all her life 

in school she is pretty and strong 

and her answers are never ever wrong 

lauri made responsible choices 

even with opposing voices 

lauri gave good advice to her friends 

so that the wave could peacefully end 

Against the Flow

Against the Flow

At the beginning it touched my heart;
I couldn't deny it that it was smart.
Throughout the school, students were joining
Some were forced and others were disappointing.
Disappointing that they refused
To be soldiers and be evilly used.

 The wave was dominating
and its principles for my mind were complicating.
 For equality it called,
but that principle was scrawled.
"Strength through community" was our salute,
but violence placed the wave in a dispute.
A dispute that made me withdraw,
and its demise I saw.





 

A Poem by Robert Billings

A Poem by Robert Billings

My name is Robert and this is how I behave,

Before and after my intro into the wave.

At first, I was ditched and I was all alone,

Me against the world, just like Mr. Stallone.

Kids didn’t hang with me, they’d mess up their own image,

Even in gym class I was picked last when it was time to scrimmage.

I could never be like my bigger bro, he was way to cool,

 I never put my hand up, I was scared to look like a fool.

Then the Wave came, and I was very happy you see,

Cuz, this was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me.

Others are now with me, and I am with others,

We are now equal, take that you stupid brother.

Written by Robert (Haroun)

The Past is the Future

The Past is the Future

The hunger and desire to submit

Is like a diabetic with a shot of insulin.

Power, success, and the will to commit,

Gives you "Strength Through Discipline".

It spreads like wildfire; from our class to the next.

They believe it is a chance for equality,

But only I see the terrible effect

Of "Strength Through Community".

"You've taken it too far" I warn.

In return I get the common reaction

Of anger, accusation, and scorn.

Leading to "Strength Through Action".

Threatening words become vicious frays,

Stripping students of their independence.

I was wrong when I thought it was just a phase...

It is more like Hitler's ascendance.

Robert's Perspective of The Wave

Equality saved me.

Questioning me as if I were some putrid young boy,

Usually I’d ignore and say I didn’t care because the faith in me was never there to start with,

A deceitful experiment changed my life for the better.

Looking back at what I was I hated myself so much,

I was losing myself.

Then The Wave appeared and as waves do, it spread on and on,

You may think of it as a disease, but this was nowhere near the plague.

Situated between two likeable people I felt happy,

A person; that is what I am now, an equal, a peer.

Violence; strength through discipline, community and action;

Equality; this is now what it means, to be heard by everyone and for everyone to be heard.

Doubted? Never again!

Mysterious; how could something so small make such a big difference?

Equality, it works in mysterious ways and I will never complain, because it saved me.

My Love for The Wave :)

I was once a leper 

But now I'm more of a leader .

Who says that people can't change?

I have made an exchange ,

I have jumped out of my brothers shadow 

Although I'm scared of change being foreshadowed. 

What does The Wave mean to me? 

It means the entire world to me.

I admit it feels different.

However I am no longer a mutant!

I have never been part of something like this! 

The Wave is a bliss, 

It has brought me great joy,

Hopefully The Wave will not be destroyed.

My life contains a-lot more pizzazz !

The Wave

Mr. Ben is not the best

His students never had time to rest

Learning about Hitler and the Nazis was going too far

The experiment spread fast like driving a car

Mr. Ben’s experiment was called the wave

Students act as if they came out of a cave

Everyone got involved in what he did

Even the little kid

True it spread out really fast

But it’s not going to last

They're trying to stop it before it passes all around

and everyone is dead on the ground

Amy's Smith poem

Chase

Before it started I was tiny

following someone shiny.

I didn't like the idea at first

but I was in a thirst.

To be equal or on top

that was a good prop.

I don't think it's jealousy

otherwise we wouldn't have a chemistry.

Seeing her unsupported now

made me feel lost somehow

Am I always going to be in second place

being forever in a race

Blog Assignment #1

A Rebel

My identity unkown

But I am not alone.

I am not one of them

Rather, I've been condemned.

The Wave started small

But then it spread to all.

I couldn't choose

What was there to lose?

But after threats I began to muse

And in the end decided to refuse.

Bad idea, he said.

And beat me down, his fists like lead.

Dirty Jew, Dirty Jew!

Astonished, I flew.

Away to be known, away to be heard

The Wave was becoming violent, absurd.

And there is my story, never again to be told

Now let the drama set forth by such unfold.