Using Poetry to Teach About Afghanistan by Sandra Tague What better way to teach seventh grade students about

the perspectives of another culture than through the expression of poetry. Students learn about the geography of another land by studying maps, satellite images and photographs. Learning about Afghanistan began with the discussion of current events and the history of war, starting with the Soviet Invasion in December 1979. Students read, analyzed and critiqued a fictional story told from the perspective of children living in Afghanistan in 1980. The devastating effect of war on children reaches into the soul of a culture, shaping the future for the individuals and the future of the nation. When war is ever-present, it becomes imbedded into the fabric that holds a culture together; it determines the direction of its government, beliefs, and attitudes towards other nations. Learning about the global tension surrounding Afghanistan is the beginning of understanding its people and their perspective. How can a society that has been at war for decades move toward peace? My seventh grade students read poetry written by Afghans and expressed their own beliefs and attitudes through poetry. Students were able to make connections with the effects of war on a country, specifically its children, through reading poetry. Reflecting on the unique arrangement of words and the power behind them, these savvy seventh grade students responded with their own writing. Not only did my students gain perspective through the written works of Afghan poets, they developed an awareness of themselves as global citizens. They will continue to develop their awareness of themselves, connect with children from faraway lands, and have empathy for the dilemma of war faced by millions who have no control over the political landscape. To set the stage for learning about Afghanistan, my students were enveloped in its music and images of its people and land. The poetry produced by these students was phenomenal and insightful.

The following poems by Afghans were read and discussed in class. Hope Desire for World Peace by Sajia Alaha Ahrar Wishing there is lasting world peace, I wish to see young and old, lips full of smile Wishing to live together as humans, Where there is no difference of color, nation, and language Wishing no more children become orphans, Where for a piece of bread, they suffer illiteracy and hard child labor. Wishing sympathy comes to every heart, so humanity is one body and soul. Alaha wishes for a renewed land, where war is despised. When there is peace, war is cursed! I desire for a lasting world peace. Sajia Alaha Ahrar is a young Afghan woman currently promoting world peace throughout Afghanistan and the Middle East.

A Tree With Bitter Seed by Abu Shukur Balkhi (b.915- unknown) A tree with bitter seed Fed with butter and sugar Will still bear a fruit. From it, you will taste no sweetness. Leadership By Hanzala of Badghis (c. 934) If leadership rests inside the lions jaw, So be it. Go snatch it from his jaws. Your lot shall be greatness, prestige, honor, and glory. If all fails, face death like a man. Love of a Nation by Ahmad Shah Durrani (1720-1771) By blood, we are immersed in love of you. The youth lose their heads for your sake. I come to you and my heart finds rest. Away from you, grief clings to my heart like a snake. I forget the throne of Delhi When I remember the mountain tops of my Afghan land. If I must choose between the world and you, I shall not hesitate to claim your barren deserts as my own.

The following poems are student responses, either to the stories we read about war and children, or from the Afghan poems above.

The Children by Laura Hoy Where are they? Are they lost, Are they children anymore, or are the doneno smiles, no laughter. They are gone. Getting dragged out of their ragged doorways by their hair. Shipped away, torn mentally and physically. Pieces missing. Losing an old story but creating a new one. They like the story better. They would like to go back, far back, back to the start. No more bombs, no more blood, no more loss, no more. But now they are not allowed to feel this way, or any way. They are forced to be a hard brick wall.

Response to a Bitter Seed by Emma Noel little tree big seeds small roots large branches humble blossoms immense fruit dull stems gleaming leaves it gives so much they give nothing War by Matthew Marino-Babcock War. The answer is nothing. Children. Losing their identity. Soldiers. Stone men on a battlefield Battling for freedom, land, even peace. When all the children have nothing to live for except each other

Love of a Nation Response by Olivia Pomeroy There is always a connection in your heart to some place. No one understands your feelings, but it is your special place. You have an experience in the land, that makes you feel at ease. Remembering everything you missed, feeling warm with joy and your memories spinning through your head.

Tree With Bitter Seed by Grace Anderson At your heart A black hole I try kindness But you like pain I am the sun But you prefer the rain. No Matter Youve been in war I try to forgive you Every time you do wrong You should be you But you prefer to shadow No matter I will forgive you. Covered in painful freezing snow People shovel you out But you hide in it Hide in the snow like a coward. As you fall I pick you up You push me down. Watch From the side Youve never picked yourself up

Too afraid to fall.

War by Ryan Sullivan War, A monster prowling through the night, An inhuman being, devouring people, destroying cities, ripping apart families bone by bone. War, A pack of wolves, Travelling as pack, If one falls there will always be more. War, Turning fellow men on each other, scarring children. When will it end?

Response to A Tree with Bitter Seed by Ben Nigrin A tree with a bitter seed Fed with butter and sugar Will still bear bitter fruit. From it, you will taste no sweetness. Children huddled as bombs sprinkle the dirt like seeds being planted on a cool spring day, Grow up to be great, leaving their past behind, They will always have a burden Always present. They may move on but they have never left they may heal but the cut is always bleeding.

Hope-Desire for world peace The Aftermath by Spencer Hedges As terror awaits the innocent, They pray for the reality that may never come, But then they see the smile of the infants. The last gunshot goes off and everything stops. Reality pokes through the clouds that clear the thick gloom of war and sorrow right out of the air, Families join hands and head home to their promised land. They get to their demolished dilapidated homes, but they dont care nothing is stopping them Home is home.

Untitled by Ainsley Clapp hiding, millions gathered waiting for a change canvas walls, small, cramped, counseling destruction from a babys new eyes I hear cries from the hot night, I hear the moan of the hopeless, and I hear the prey of the grieving. I feel the ground wet with the tears of refugees tents placed side-by-side like a brick wall lathered with mortar made from experiences Response to A Tree With Bitter Seed by Brooks Kennedy Some souls have no light like a fire, no matter how much you feed it it will do nothing if there is nothing for it to start from So do not bother for without a source there will never be light Never be kindness Never be hope Never be joy Just darkness and hatred and anger and sorrow.

Untitled by Paxton Howe The silence is so loud its suffocating. After the savage roaring of the bombs and the machine guns the quiet makes for restlessness, the debris and wreckage from the aftermath of the war surround us like walls all around us impossible to escape from or ignore, bodies lay in tangles all around us mangled from the bloody battle for our freedom. We got down on our hands and knees we prayed prayed that those who were living for those who had lost everything prayed for each other for our hearts to find new homes. Our bodies will recover, wounds will heal but our minds may never.

Response to A Tree With Bitter Seed by Oliver Broaderick A classroom with no students given new chalkboards and desks will still teach no children from it, no knowledge will come. Response to A Tree With Bitter Seed By Victoria Dzbynski The dark shadows of war scars the childs life. Goodness that is showered over the child after the war cannot cover the troubles have been faced, remaining in the dark shadows of war forever.