Catharsis

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong,”

I tell myself.

Stifled emotions, quenched heart,

In my mind, it falls apart

As I put pen to paper, I deterge my soul,

I am aware I am losing all control

My encaged conscience begins to squeal

I hear the voice inside me start to crescendo

I quietly discover my ego ideal

And my writing continues at a steady tempo

My soul gleans freedom like a flailing

Skydancer in the cold winter breeze;

As I grasp that I’ve thoroughly purified

My heart and soul with utmost ease.

Submission by Mohanad El-Hawary

Fireside

I sit beside the fire and think,

Of all that I have seen,

Of meadows, flowers and butterflies,

In summers that have been,

Of yellow leaves and gossamer,

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun,

And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think,

Of how the world will be,

When winter comes without a spring,

That I shall ever see,

For still here are so many things,

That I have never seen,

In every wood, in every spring,

There is a different green.

I sit before the fire and think,

Of people long ago,

And who will see a world,

That I shall never know.

Submission by Sidra Riaz

The American University of Kuwait celebrates originality and encourages its students to continuously push their creative boundaries via the highly anticipated Annual Writing Contest. Every academic year, students flock to the Writing Center at AUK for support. Yet, there are those who revel in the magic of the written word, losing time as they turn their thoughts into wonderful pieces of literature. Such talented individuals are given a platform to compete through the Annual Writing Contest.

The 4th Annual Writing Contest was launched by the Writing Center at the American University of Kuwait on February 23rd until March 30th. The Writing Center cultivates an environment of collaborative inquiry to improve students’ writing through the use of peer-revision strategies. They provide assistance to the students of AUK for a variety of writing assignments during any stage of the writing process. The competition was open for the student body at the university to submit their creative work that was original, unpublished, and not previously submitted as a class assignment. Students were given the option to submit poetry pieces, short stories or personal narratives/reflections. On May 26th two winners were announced: Mohanad El-Hawary and Sidra Riaz who were asked to claim their gifts from the Writing Center, including certificates and iPads (which were partially sponsored by the lovely people at Blink). Congratulations to both entrants, and we hope that you enjoy reading their poetry.

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, and coeducational liberal arts institution of higher education. For more information about AUK courses please visit www.auk.edu.kw or contact them on 180 2040 or 2224 8399 ext. 3148.