Song of Becoming...

Upon reading the poem Song of Becoming, the first image that flashed in my head is that one scene in the movie Kite Runner wherein childhood friends, Amir and Hassan are flying kites. The two characters spent most of their early childhood days playing, roaming the peaceful city streets and being just boys but then those days came to an end when war broke out. They were just like the boys in the poem "who used to frolic and play, launching rainbowed kites on the western wind".

Fadwa Tuqan is known for her representation of the resistance to the Israeli occupation. Though she is a Palestinian, she did not merely represented the Palestinian side in her poem. Because of the presence of the lines: "carried the love's messages like the Bible or the Quran" and "to become the worshipped and the worshipper", it is evident that she is aching and mourning in behalf of both Arab and Jewish boys. She is searching for good fate instead of graves and "sullen tanks" for the innocent ones. She fears for what the future may hold for these boys. She doesn't want the idea that they continue to live amidst the war and engage in war themselves, by the time they grow up; that consequences were shown in her poem to serve as a wake-up call.

A waring state is never a healthy environment for anybody. The word "war" is seemed synonymous with violence and destruction. It doesn't solely destroy ones' physical environment but the lives of the individuals as well. Nobody could be considered a real winner when it comes to wars.

Guests...

I, for one, know no sweeter sight for a man's eyes than his own country, that's what a homeland is for Homer; so does for Mahmoud Darwish. The concept of "watan" or homeland is the central theme of Darwish's poetry. All throughout his life he is in quest for a land which he can call his; for the his fellow Palestinian to be called theirs. Through poetry he made known what is life without a homeland. As what Naomi Shihab Nye put it:

Mahmoud Darwish is the Essential Breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging, exquisitely tuned singer of images that invoke, link, and shine a brilliant light into the world's whole heart. What he speaks has been embraced by readers around the world-his in an utterly necessary voice, unforgettable once discovered.

Every line of his poem Guests on the Sea revealed his personal experience as an exile; being one of the guests on the sea. He himself had savored the experience of being homeless, of being a nomad, just like any other Palestinians. Their venture of having a place for their own has grown long, so long that "the plants of the distance have grown tall" already. Why is it that the realization of that simple longing is so difficult? They are pleading to the sea, to those who are in power, not to give them the "song they do not deserve" which is the exodus from their homeland. Perhaps that's why that line is given stress and repeated.

Mahmoud Darwish gave us a clear view of what is in the heart of every homeless individauls, their wants and their needs. Though, he is a poet of resistance he believed that even there's struggle, there's also the ray of hope and that peace is attainable.

A Journey...

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
--Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

Being a mother is one of the most exceptional role a woman plays. It is one of the greatest right a woman could have. She would always have a great impact on any child's life. This is because they share unique bond which had started since the day of conception. Bonding and attachment comes with a day-to-day unconditional love. This attachment is evident in the poem The Journey by Maxine Kumin. It reflected the different facets of this unconditional love. There's always a fear in each mother's heart of almost all the things concerning her child. In the poem, I just couldn't imagine the fear encompassing the mother's heart for what the future may bring to her daughter. But that fear is at a higher level especially with the fact that she wouldn't be by her daughter's side along the journey from that point of her life. But even if that's the case, being separated physically and geographically would not mean that the connection between them is completely gone.

I couldn't help but relate myself with the poem. The pieces of advice that my mom would constantly give me still rings in my head. But its frequency increased since the day I left home for college. I know that it was hard for her to me go and leave me on my one but I saw in her eyes that she trusted me enough to give me the opportunity to explore the world on my own and learn from the experiences that this new world could offer. It is really true that in any type of relationship it must always be a give and take process, and you must know that in your heart the love you share will surely cross any boundaries.

jUst a BoY

Do not suck your thumb; put your toys in this box, do not leave them scattered on the floor; cease mumbling; sit on that corner, be still; do not run around like a wild cat; this is the kind of food that you should eat; candies will give you a tooth decay; fruits will make you strong; this milk for your bones; you must not walk out in the rain and play in the mud; be sure you tie your shoe lace; do not cross a busy street alone; now learn your ABC's and 123's; learn how to pray; eat a power breakfast; did you belch? where are your manners? be sure you to lend your ears, now do your homework; do not just throw your stuff anywhere; be sure not to stay up late; enough for ball games, only on Saturdays; this is where you should keep your bike, this is how you should pile your sneakers; be sure to check your shirt because your soaking with sweat; enough for cutting classes; be sure to come home straight; this is the things that you should focus on, enough computer games and skateboards; stop picking at your sister; will your delinquencies give me a break? enough for texting, you seemed so engrossed with that girl; do not be an infantile fool; take alcohol in moderation, but never smoke; never start a fight; but when you're provoked, this is how you should fight back; get a degree; this is how to set a goal, pass the board; be sure you'll get the job; this is how you please the boss, this is how you do the trick; this is where you park your car; now is she your lady? be a gentleman; am I not? this is how you control your drives; be sure to handle your temper, don't be a fussy buddy; this is how to be a beau ideal like you dad; this tie should go with that tuxedo; when you say 'I do', say it with conviction; this is how to settle down; this is how to say what you mean and mean what you say; this is when to conform and when not to; this is how to contruct a house; this is how to build a home; this is how to rear your kiddo, it's never easy though.