I had a dream
by Okasha Naqvi, 13 years
New Jersey

I had the strangest dream
not long ago
let us see if you notice the moral
my dream had meant to show

I was treading through the woods
the breeze brushing against my face
a voice had begun chanting
my name from place to place

I turned around and saw a light
with radiance it shined
it was very pure and majestic
until an earsplitting noise began to whine

" Don't look that way
lisen to what i say
no use now to obey
come we shall ignore
the world is our real friend
it offers gifts at every door "

The whining voice, I had heard it before
it was talking to me as I hesitated to give to the poor
That voice followed me as I prayed at dawn
telling me I should rest
and that I was wrong
that voice pulled me away from my deen
and encouraged me to backbite
and to gossip of everything i had seen

I began to realize who did this to me
who broke the branches of the faru uddin
who made me a slave
who lured me to anger, fear and rage
It was the accursed
and sinful satan
who dwells inside all
and can only leave our mind
of a protecting wall of faith

I turned to see again
the light was fading away
I ran after it and said I would believe starting today
The light faded and reached a stop
over a large gate,
flowers covering it
bottom to top

I entered slowly
not prepared for what lay ahead
when I tripped over a body that looked almost dead
it was a beautiful woman
looking as if she was rotting away
she had a little life left in her
and as my  mind fathomed on what was going on
she began to say:

" do you not recognize thee,
I am that of which you fasted from sunrise to sunset
I am that of which you stood strong throught the pain of hunger.
the striking pain of lightning and thunder
and I am becoming that of which you ignore
as you parade around dancing and galore
and your faith began rotting away
resulting in what you see today "

As she took a breath and vanished in thin air,
I recognized her as the fasts I would very much care
She was the pride I had as the day passed on,
as I would do my best to read the Azaan.
Where did it these fasts  go?
How foolish had I been?
my branch of the faru uddeen
had died from the impurity that I had meant to keep clean

Tears rolled down my face
My fasts had vanished without a trace
I looked up and saw nine more creatures
each with own beautiful nature

The first one stepped up close to me
she smelled like purfume
and from what I could see
she was disappearing
and said:

" I am your namaaz
that you solemnly used to pray
but you became older and
drifted away
I am but a memory
from your childhood days
when your parents would hug you
because you prayed
goodbye dear friend
for you do not know how much help I would have been
on the day
when the world would end."

And with that
she too vanished
adding to the straining tears
flowing from my face
as the next four creatures took her place

" I'm hajj,
that you had completed one day
you went to Friday prayer
for the real umrah you could not pay
and that counted as yer hajj
but was stomped over by the vacations
and parties
where you had more than enough money
and decided to stay
and forgot your duties
to that wish you had as a child
to go to Allah's House.."

" and I'm khums" said the next.
" I was never paid
you spent money on worldly things
and cheated in trade."

" and I'm zakat
that was so close to be done
but you listened to Satan
and went on having fun "

" and I am Jihad
that of which you stuggled to overcome
debating you should go ahead and do the right thing
or remain ingnorant
and never to bring
others the word God gave to you "


They disappeared as well
the last Five took their turns
I realized that what I was doing was a path to hell
I had to change
and regrow the tree
that I had so carelessley torn apart
I had to do taqwa
with all my heart
I cried and cried some more
as the dream around me began to spin
and, with a yelp I awoke
and touched my face
my face was wet
no dry space
I had to tell others what I had seen
what I had gone through
where I had been
I rushed downstairs
and began to write

and what I wrote came to be
the poem you just heard

 
Autumn
by Maryyam, 9 years, New Jersey

Fall is here!
I think it's the most wonderful time of the year

The leaves turn many a color
While small critters wander and flutter

Leaves fall here and there,
Birds fly through the air

Summer is over, winter is near
autumn winds blow
Fall is here!

Red, yellow, orange, brown,
kids are jumping in leaves throughout the town

animals are gathering food,
everyone is so busy
there is no time to brood.

Looking at the colorful leaves
reminds me of a toucan’s beak
for autumn is all the fun I seek

the sun no longer shines so bright
winds now blow with all their might
well, it’s time to say
Fall is here !