The Dark Cloud

If you're reading this, you should know that I almost fell out the window at 3:46 am trying to capture this in my 'camera phone'. I haven't posted a picture of the sky in a while now and I've deleted some previous pictures too..but my addiction for taking pictures of the sky is getting increasingly out of control the longer I try not to take it, the more I seem to need to take more. There isn't even a particular time of day that I prefer the sky, it's almost every minute of the day. I see two clouds overlapping, or a cluster of clouds opening to allow the sun to peep through and sometimes it's just the bare grey sky, or blue and on odd ocassions consists of an ombré hue - before I know it I'm trying to capture the image...I need to realise that beauty can't be trapped in a 2 dimensional, 4 sided frame. That's the thing about beauty, you can never really portray it as well as the eyes see it or reciprocate the vibes your soul feels (especially if you're not even a photographer).

Just as the air, beauty cant be forced into a jar, and even if it has been tricked into the crystal prism, you won't even know if it's actually there or not. I tell myself this every time yet as soon as I look up, my hand will be reaching for my phone which seems to have fallen deep into the labyrinth that is my pocket, to get just one more attempt at stealing a piece of the sky. ▫Beauty is f r e e ▫

If you follow me on Instagram you would probably recall this scribble from a caption I wrote a couple of weeks ago. No I am not posting this on my blog just so that it's saved - on my blog.

After writing this, another thought conjured up in my mind: why is it that we have the abilty to love nature for what it is, without it being altered but don't hold the same rules when it comes to other human beings.

Living in an era that is rapidly changing, where iPads have replaced rattles for children, and we can't go a day without our smart phones, it is true to say that a lot of us are trying to go back to the basics of life, and attempting to rediscover the beauty of the world (even if it is through a camera screen!)

I personally, am trying to reach out to my inner earthling by exploring my love for the outside world, what I like to call - the greener side of life. Which brings me back to my original point, we love the world for what it is, but expect the world's inhabitants to change to the way we want them to be.

Why can't we accept people of all faiths, groups and skin colours the way they are.  We despise society for setting boundaries and false expectations, we hate how society tells us what we should like and dislike, but instead of pushing ourselves over these unwritten rules, we continue to conform to them. So who's to blame, the dark cloud stopping you from living your dreams that we have come to know as 'society' or is it you yourself?

Just a thought...from a inseccant rambler

I would love to hear back from you guys, comments/feedback is always welcomed.

Rimsha

Rainbow Of Butterflies - Introducing a new blog

Today, I would like to introduce a new blog created and written by women – for women. It is a pivot on which you can share your stories and poems and tell the world who you are.

I do tend to ramble on, to stop that from happening I decided it would be better for the three producers of the blog to introduce themselves; here is what they had to say.

“The eyes, Shakespeare said, are the windows to your soul, we would like to dither. We all have beautiful eyes but the soul is a different matter altogether. The soul is made up of the mind, the will and the emotions.

On this blog, we would like to look into your soul through your words because we each have a story worth telling. So tell us the story of your soul. We are different but we are all beautiful, just like butterflies, trying to soar high. Even with broken wings and bruised scars we carry on.

We would love to hear stories of other butterflies too fluttering around so that together we can become Rainbow of Butterflies and inspires other with our life, so what are you waiting for? Write to us so that you can be part of this beautiful world to inspire…”

I would suggest that you do check out the blog and submit your work, the process is quite simple really and I found their way of working with people to be quite friendly yet professional. Contact them, and they will send you an email with further information:

 

http://rainbowofbutterflies.blogspot.fr/?m=1

Sharing your work on a fresh up and coming blog is a rare opportunity which I for one, will not miss out on!

Rimsha

To Kill A Mockingbird ( Book Review)

"It's a sin to kill a mockingbird"

Exams have dragged on longer than they should have and I have been excited at the prospect of becoming a 'born-again' bibliophile. Just to be able to sit and read brought a familiar minimalism back into my avid routine: reading something out of my own free will rather than being forced to memorize it that is!

After years of seeing tattered edged, note filled copies in the high school English classrooms and telling myself I'll read it one day, I finally bought a copy of the novel studied inside out by students over the 50 years of its publication - To Kill A Mockingbird.

Having read 'Of mice and men' which addresses similar themes of poverty in the great depression, racism and crime, I was intrigued at the prospect of reading something similar. But from the very first chapter, I found that Lee's portrayal of 1930's America would be a learning experience for me.

It starts off with Scout- an 8 year old girl being naive to the ways of the adults in the book, she learns of the mistreatment of African-American's and the hierachal structure of society, the Black at the bottom, the people most hit by the depression coming after them, and that 'it isn't becoming of a lady' to wear overalls.

The children of a lawyer defending a Black man, Jem and Scout learn the hard way that what's fair and plain simple to them doesn't necessarily mean it's what will happen. Their father, an honest personality amidst the thriving racism and single parent, teaches them that nothing is higher than the truth and to ignore the whispers in the street, despite of the harassment from others in the community, he does all he can to defend an innocent soul accused of raping a white girl.

To kill a mockingbird is exclusive in the way that it paints out the prejudiced settings of those superior in society by the thoughts and feelings of a minor. Lee expertly shows the how the pure hearted in a close knit community in search of the American Dream, come together in times of need, including its outcasts. 

Essentially, to kill a mockingbird is a gem, a literary translation of life in all era's, not just the American depression. Each new chapter reminds the reader of the basic morals we need in society, such as wanting equal justice, all through the practices of three strong individuals; Atticus, Jem and Scout.

Freidnship, innocence and acceptance. It certainly is the novel of a lifetime.

Rimsha

Women Under The Veil

“A society has no chance of success, if it does not educate its women”

– Khaled Hosseini (A Thousand Splendid Suns)

I’m not a student of politics who can give word perfect reiterations of human rights and state legislations. Nor am I a preacher, who can address every word of God sent down to man without blinking twice. I am merely a spectator in a mass of confusion, a writer aiming to put forward her feeble thoughts, a teenager who knows her rights.

H I J A B, a word that has caused immense misunderstandings over the recent decades, why are Muslim women obliged to wear it? How can any female be oppressed in such a way in the 21st century? When will they let go of such archaic laws and let women be free?

As global media is growing, we are becoming increasingly aware of issues in parts of the world that just half a century ago, we may not have even known existed. The general contradictions have grown to, what some people now believe as hard underlying facts; amongst the others, a strong contender is that Muslim women are oppressed.

The misunderstandings surrounding the topic of the oppression of women is one that, as suggested by a leading sociologist, is that the subordination of women has only been present since about four thousand years. Armstrong argues that in ancient polytheistic religions, women were highly respected due to them being worshiped as goddesses such as the Greek goddess, Hera. It is only since the introduction of monotheism that the focus shifted to a single male God, and woman were began to be seen as inferior.

The point put forward by Armstrong is valid to a certain degree, but it is also important to point out that before the introduction of a major world religion, Islam, women in polytheistic Arabia were not even considered as second class citizens, they were bought, sold and were merely seen as men's property.

It is blatant that in many societies, till this day, women are not regarded as equal to men. This is seen as particularly true to nations in the East. The problem arises when we mix the inequalities taking place as being pushed by religion, when in actuality it is culture. A key notion in this view of females in Islam being oppressed is because they generally choose to wear a hijab. What we often fail to realise is that the covering of hair and skin is prevalent in traditional Judaeo-Christianity and not just Islam. What the spectators see as a form of patriarchal control, for the Muslim woman symbolises resistance to oppression, and encourages men to see them for the person they are rather then the outfit they are clad in. To think someone is oppressed is one thing, yet to pass laws permitting religious headwear is another.

The rise in extremist groups has shown Islam as a sexist and violent faith. These groups that claim females should not be educated or anything of the sort are a minority and Muslims worldwide condemn the horrific acts committed by these groups, but the bad press and generalisation that all Muslims have this 'anti female' view of life has taken precedence. What we forget is that Islam was the first ever religion to recognise women as equal to men, allowed them to run their own businesses and pursue an education and granted them with rights that women in the West didn't see light of till about 1300 years later. One of these being, the right of a woman to initiate a divorce.

At times like this, it can be hard to distinguish between reality and what we see in the news. It is evident to historians and those that study religion, that Islam was the first to grant women with freedom and allowed them to gain a sense of identity, the rulings passed around 630 CE gave light to the injustice towards women and gave women the rights to keep their dowry and earnings.

The crucial factor in disagreements between faiths and people of different lifestyles is a lack of communication. The next time you see a lady in a veil, remember they are free thinking members of society and choose to wear what they wear. If you're unaware of a custom or practice and would like to learn more, just ask a fellow Muslim or a person of any other faith that you would like to learn more of.

Thank you for reading, please do leave feedback or suggestions as I would be happy to see them.

Rimsha :)

A Birthday Cake With No Frosting

A published book without waiting for what seems like an eternity, and your work displayed on shelves in bookstores worldwide? Yes Please!

As amateur writers, there is nothing more one could ask for than to hit your ‘big break’, it’s a long hard road to success and trying to reach the end of this road takes up most of our time and effort. What we don’t realise is that sometimes this can put a downer on your creativity, and a writer that lacks a creative spark is like a birthday cake with no frosting, in other words, it isn’t a good look.

Recently, I have come to realise that writer’s block is usually the by-product of constantly writing for a particular project that you may be working on, without taking a breather. In such cases, I like to revert to a method I call ‘The Aimless Writer’ method. When I say aimless, I literally mean write without any aim or focus in mind.

Every so often, it’s refreshing to just take a day or a few hours out to write or poeticise about anything you want, the only aim should be to go as off topic as you possibly can. Being inspired by the objects around you will heighten your literary senses and you’ll actually be surprised about how much you could write about things you surpass every day. Remember to be silly, be spontaneous and try not to think about anything other than filling the distance between your pen and paper.

Comments are always open! :) 

Rimsha

A Social Media Writer’s 101

When you finally decide that you want to start sharing your poetry or written piece (which is a heck of a milestone in itself) you need to make a decision about where it is that you want to showcase your work.

From my personal experience, I have found that it is easier to start by sharing your work on a social networking site that you are familiar with; this should be a site that you can navigate well. Posting your first few pieces for the world to see can be immensely nerve wracking; you don’t want to have to deal with any technical complications. The best way to get known for what you do quickly is by posting your work on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It’s always a good idea to start a new account, on which you will mainly post your writing/poetry. The name of your account should be quirky, unique and personal to you, it should stand you out from the crowd, there are plentiful writers on social media and you don’t want to have a name that has been done. Your name should scream originality.

You have to think of it as your work being the ‘product’ that you are trying to sell to people, the more you see an advertisement of something, the more compelled you are to buy it. Similarly, you should share your work regularly. With a packed schedule, this may be hard to do every day, but a well presented piece a few times a week should suffice, the old school saying of quality over quantity should not go a miss either.

In regards to setting a clear theme to your page, that people remember as yours consistency is the key! Now I’m not suggesting that you should have a boring page with minimal colour (unless that’s your thing) but what I am saying is that you should have a particular feature that you keep the same with all your posts, whether that is the font style, the background colour or the way you sign your work is up to you.

Ok. So you have created a new account, decided on a theme and you have even uploaded your first post... a few days pass and you hardly have any likes. “I knew this was a bad idea” you say as you start to argue with yourself, and start contemplating on ditching the account. But wait! Hang in there; there are a few boxes you need to tick every time you post a piece. It may seem very time consuming at first, but as you get into the habit of doing so, the time it takes to mentally go through your check list is next to nothing.

These are:

- Use relevant hashtags that relate to your posts, so that other people can find your work e.g. #poem #writer

- The next thing that I personally like to do is also use hashtags based on what I have wrote my poem about e.g. if my poem is about the ocean or just mentions any aspect of the ocean, then I may use a hashtag like #ocean #blue #sea

- The most important part is writing an inviting caption, something that will engage your readers and will make them want to read your work

Things might seem slow at first, you must follow other accounts that you may share the same interests with, and make it clear on whether or not you are open to feedback. Ask your friends to follow and share your new account too and you should also share your account on various forms of social media that you may already be on. You want to have fun with what you’re doing, but gaining recognition for it too would be even better, so don’t forget to promote your work elsewhere.

Once you get into it, you are most likely to make fellow poet/writer friends, and your account will become a comfortable abode for your thoughts and words. Don’t forget to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Is Writing Really For Me?

Writing, poetry and random scribbles to me, are all a form of art. There are countless numbers of un-discovered poets around the world not only because it may be hard for some to get noticed, but for many the problem is, they never pick up the courage to show their work.

The way music differs in terms of genres and styles, similarly writing does too. You may feel like what you write does not fit what the 'mainstream' poets/writers do, therefore you come to the self-made conclusion that it isn't really literature.

But there will always be someone out there who is looking for just the type of story that you write. If you are interested in writing and it's something you enjoy, pick up a pen and notebook and write. I don't think Shakespeare would have anticipated that his poetry and plays would be studied inside out in English classrooms worldwide, four hundred years after his death. When it comes to writing, there are many opportunities, you could enjoy story writing, poetry, or you might even have the hand to be a playwright!

The important thing to remember here is that, the only way to improve your writing and form your own unique style, is to actually start writing. Practice makes perfect.

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Tip: Set a timer for 10 minutes and write as much as you can and whatever comes to your mind, on a blank sheet of paper. This really is not time consuming, read through what u have written and you never know, you might just find your world famous poem between the lines of your scribbles. 

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In my next post, I will be writing about the various platforms that you can display your work on.

Leave your comments and suggestions. I would love to hear from you :)

Rimsha