This page contains samples of some prose and poetry pieces I have been working on.
Sitting in a video conference classroom during a WAPA fail
As we stare at the TV screen,
The lights go dark.
WAPA is at work again!
Our class and our professor have disappeared.
In the 7pm darkness, we cannot see,
But we hear each other’s frustration.
Arige Shrouf, 2013
Truths and Changes
When the world was flat
So small and so vast
When you could fall off its edge
and plummet into the unknown.
When we thought we knew what truth was,
We knew our place in the world
We discovered truths and exploited them.
We were savages, mankind.
But something always changes…
Arige Shrouf, 2013
The Last Straw: An Anansi Story
I
One night Anansi was walking home after spending the day with Bro’ Rabbit and Bro’ Mongoose. He was so proud of how his day had gone. It had been a successful day in the life of a trickster.
They had come across a basket filled with fruits and vegetables. Instead of sharing the treasure, Anansi suggested to his neighbors a race. The winner would get the basket all to himself.
Now Anansi was clever. He did not join the race. While Bro’ Rabbit and Bro’ Mongoose raced through the woods, Anansi hid in the bushes and ate every last fruit and vegetable in the basket. His belly full, he handed the empty basket to the winner, said his goodbyes, and went on his way.
Arige Shrouf, 2013
Full-Time Job: An Anansi Story
I
One afternoon, Anansi was sitting under a towering palm tree just outside the UVI campus trying to take a nap. He was supposed to be looking for a job, but did not feel like working.
You see, Anansi was a trickster by trade, a free spirit. He could not be happy tied down to a job that involved actual work.
Why should I have to work when my neighbors are always so willing to do my work for me? he thought.
He had come to the palm drive at UVI because it was the last place Aso would look for him. He could finally get some peace and quiet. But try as he might, Anansi could not relax enough to rest.
He had to find a way out of getting a job. If he came home without one, Aso would lock him out of the house for good.
Arige Shrouf, 2013
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