Kidstars

My Path of Life
Shiny sun
Waking life.
A steely shimmer
Scorching
Sizzling
I sweat away
From clothes frayed and frazzled.

I put on a brave face
As I walk the path of my life--
But is it my face or a facade
That I have adopted

To keep myself going
To keep myself from crumbling
To keep my path of life straight
For at least one more day.

I follow my path of life--
Straight and stiff
Like a machine.
But with spindly arms
And bended knees
As a machine gone wrong
For thirst of oil.
But still following my path of life
To continue at least one more day.

I walk down my path of life.
Bread and butter, the smell
Curling its finger into a fist
And snaking around my wrist.
No, No, No.
I resist the smell, the taste, the richness
And follow back into my path of life.

I see a ribbon of red
Flaring and beckoning
I am almost there reaching it.
The finish line I am near it
Or is it moving near me?

The ribbon of red just
In front of me.
I see it
I see.

But there's a person in front of me
Standing in bended knees
Spindly arms extended

I ask, "Who are you?"
He answers, "Why I am you".

By Tasmia Nower

A letter to Baba
You are the best Baba in the world because you are always there for me whenever I need you. You get me all the beautiful things that I want. You never scold me except when you want me to drink a lot of water. I love you Baba, I love you with all my heart and especially for the moments you spend for putting me to sleep.

My Ma
I love my Ma. I love her the most,
She is my dream
Wherever she goes.
My Ma has a language
I wish I could learn,
Sometimes it is soothing,
And sometimes it is stern.
Sometimes she talks
In a low sweet song
And the whole house is lulled
When the sleep comes down.

By Seemona. S. Siddique

Unanswered Questions!
Is it the same country, which gained its freedom
By sacrificing many valuable lives?
Is it the same country, which has shown
Its bravery only just for its language?
Is it the same country, which has written
Its name by loving its country incredibly?
Is it the same country, which got
The Nobel Prize on peace?

How far will we go to cross the limit of barbarity?
What type of act will we still have to perform
To show our brutality and inhumanity?
Now we are spiteful enough to abolish our country's fame
From the world's history and to forget
The golden ages of our country!
Now we want to protect, but we are helpless
We want to scream, but we are speechless
We want to move, but we are motionless
We want to protest, but we don't have the courage.
There are innumerable questions in everybody's mind
But those will remain unanswered forever making us blind.

By Syeda Rafia Dewan Kabir

Endless Summer
Green grass growing,
Beach ball throwing,
Splashing in the pool,
Trying our hardest to stay cool.
Catching' flights from here to there,
Taking vacations anywhere!
Always hanging out with friends,
With them the fun never ends.
Going to the movies and the mall,
All through summer until fall.
Catching lightning bugs in little jugs,
Palm trees and an ocean breeze.
Throughout the day,
In your arms are where I lay.
Hot air and sun-kissed hair,
Endless summer; take me there.

By Anisa Shafiq

MY FATHER
He wakes up every morning.
Wanting to greet us,
Comes to our room and finds us sleeping,
But does not care to make any fuss.

He goes back in his room,
Sad and disconsolate,
But still he has a smile that ought to make a bud bloom,
Not trying to make any one collide with the same fate.

We wake up and go to him,
Trying to cheer him up,
Still he has that grin,
Not trying to be too rough.

After a sad event I sit, grievous, in my balcony,
But I know there is someone,
Who would lend me his shoulder to cry on,
One who could make suffocation breathe.

He showers us with presents,
At every event,
He bathes us, feeds us even cooks for us,
And means more to me….

He is my father and I am proud of that,
He is Perfection, not at all flawed,
He finishes the duty of a dentist, a waiter, a doctor but most preferably a dad,
He is the best father one could have.

By Arshiyan Q Ahsan

Book Review

Shopaholic and sister

NOT too long ago, there was this MSN article about sibling rivalry that tried to explain the science between the complex love-hate relationships that we have with our brothers and sisters. What it boiled down to was that we hate them because we're competing with them for affection and resources, and we love them because we share genes.

Becky Bloomwood must have not read the article, because after she comes back from her year-long world-tour honeymoon in the fourth book in Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series, to find out that she has a half-sister she'd never heard of, and goes into Hallmark mode. The incurable retail therapy addict who crashed, burned and rose from the ashes in the first book, managed to take Manhattan by storm in the second, and tied the knot in the third installment, instantly begins to daydream about all the sisterly bonding and shopping trips together that is sure to follow.

Then the prodigal sister, Jessica makes an appearance, and to Becky's dismay, the girl is coldly pragmatic, standoffish, and worse...thrifty. This couldn't have come at a worse time for the self-indulgant protagonist, because her purchases are beginning to create problems for her marriage, and Jess is the cold voice of reason she doesn't want to hear.

What follows is a story about opposites, and learning to let go of one's prejudices. If you, like yours truly, found Becky to be a little annoying, you will love this book simply because Jess tosses not just the book, but the whole library at her sister and forces her to really confront her shortcomings. This is also the only book in the series with a little action and life-threatening adventure, all with a warm, fuzzy, feel-good ending.

If you liked the other Shopaholic books, you'll love this one.

Similar authors: Meg Cabot

By Sabrina F Ahmad
sabrina.ahmad@thedailystar.net

Notice

In the face of popular demand, we've decided to start a monthly segment dedicated to the kid stars of Rising Stars.
If you have a younger sib/child who has a knack for writing, tell them to mail us their work at ds.risingstars@gmail.com Please note that the editors will be following the same stringent quality control that we aim for in the case of our regular contributors, and pressuring us with phone calls will not guarantee publication. --RS Desk

The students of the University of Dhaka along with the Anushondhitshu Chokro Science Organization have arranged for a Scientific Observation Camp in celebration of the Annular Solar Eclipse on January 15, 2010, Friday, starting from 12.44 pm. The DU Central Stadium has been selected as the venue. The program is expected to be inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor of DU, Mr. A A M S Arefin Siddique. The camp is open for all and will have facilities like telescope viewing, pin hole binocular projection, on-screen live projection and solar filters. For further information please contact: 01715788228 and 01927640092.