Summer Nights in Algeria | Teen Ink

Summer Nights in Algeria

March 3, 2011
By Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond


The night sky over there is like a sky in your dreams
With that deep royal-blue color
And the stars twinkling above

The children take delight in this
And laugh & play under the night sky
With their handmade toys

Inside, the place smells of
Rosewater cookies and mint tea
For the bride and her family
Good wishes swing through the hot air.

The wedding dresses are in a corner
They are exported from all over the world
Handmade and sewn to perfection
Chiffon
Silks
Brocades
All the colors of the rainbow

This is the Algeria that I have lived in
This is the Algeria that I know

You, with your pompous attitude, will never know this place
Will never know who I am
Unless you open your mind
And leave the stereotypes behind
Forget about what you knew before
Forget what was said

Open your mind, my dear
To a place that only a few know of
Summer Nights in Algeria

The author's comments:
This was actually inspired by all the stereotypes that people have about Algeria, my home country.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 29 comments.


so_joy SILVER said...
on Jan. 14 2013 at 9:59 am
so_joy SILVER, Navesink, New Jersey
8 articles 0 photos 722 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be the change you want to see."

This is amazing! Beautiful imagery. Great job! Can you please check out my work too? I would love to know what you think :)

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Aug. 28 2011 at 5:40 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Parts of Algeria are extremely beautiful, parts are kinda trashy, depends where you go, as in any country....

on Aug. 28 2011 at 2:56 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Did I really never comment on this?  I could've swore I did.  Anyway, great job!  It must be beautiful in Algeria.

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Aug. 27 2011 at 9:17 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

SHOUT-OUT TO ALL MY PAKISTANIS, cookiegirl and Destinee! :)

A lot of my friends are from South Asia, they are Pakistani and Bangali and Indian! :)

I know, right? The story to this poem is below, did you read it? 


cookiegirl said...
on Aug. 27 2011 at 7:34 am
People like giving stereotypes to other counties aswell, like I'm Pakistani, you have these people who think we're bad people, stereotypes are offensive and hurtful.

cookiegirl said...
on Aug. 27 2011 at 7:18 am
I like how you display Alegeria in your poem, you display it as beautiful and you destroy stereotypes. Your peom is beautiful:) 

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Aug. 9 2011 at 6:06 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

If you read more comments, I talk more about Algeria and why I specifically wrote this poem. 

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Aug. 9 2011 at 6:05 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Algeria is not exactly the wonderland I set it out to be but it is a place that is very dear to my heart. 

See, my father is Algerian and my mother is American.(that's why I'm Muslim) 

I lived there for four months when I was nine but it felt like a year. 

 


on Aug. 9 2011 at 5:51 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Wow, if I had any false opinions about Algeria, they would be entirely shattered right now! But I didn't really know anything to begin with, so this was quite illuminating. It sounds like a beautiful culture.

I didn't know your home country was Algeria! When did you live there?


Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Jul. 9 2011 at 4:49 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Would you like to know the stopry behind this poem? It is written below. :)

on Jul. 8 2011 at 10:10 pm
SMWells PLATINUM, Carlisle, South Carolina
22 articles 0 photos 294 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some truths best left unspoken.

Well then OK it is... OK's are good.

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Jul. 8 2011 at 6:51 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Okay. :) 

on Jul. 8 2011 at 9:17 am
SMWells PLATINUM, Carlisle, South Carolina
22 articles 0 photos 294 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some truths best left unspoken.

Um... sorry. It's just that with all the contintion, I didn't want you to think I would specificly comment to flater you.  But it is a good poem.

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Jul. 7 2011 at 9:55 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Thank you! :)

Wow, I'm kinda offended by that! I mean, I have NOTHING against you. What do you think I am going to do anyway? 


on Jul. 7 2011 at 9:12 pm
SMWells PLATINUM, Carlisle, South Carolina
22 articles 0 photos 294 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some truths best left unspoken.

Goodness me! It's you!!!! If I had known that I wouldn't have comented. 

on Jul. 7 2011 at 9:10 pm
SMWells PLATINUM, Carlisle, South Carolina
22 articles 0 photos 294 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some truths best left unspoken.

This is realy artisticly origanal, I like it.

on Jun. 8 2011 at 2:42 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity.
~Amoniel

"Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'"
~Thesilentraven

As you can tell, I know absolutely nothing about Algeria ;)

I read the story behind it, thank you :)


Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Jun. 8 2011 at 2:12 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

There's a bigger story behind this poem. It's the 7th or 8th or 9th comment that tells the story. :)

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Jun. 8 2011 at 2:10 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond

Algeria is not in Europe. It is actually on the coast of North Africa, it is smushed between Tunsia and Morrocco. I have actually taken a ship on the Mediterrean from Spain to Algeria.

People in Algeria are Muslims and Arabs and because of that, there are a lot of stereotypes about us, especially in France and Italy. The 1990's were a very violent time in Algeria, creating a bad rep for us. But thank you!

Algeria isn't exactly a wonderland but it's a very precious place to me.Please Google it and learn more about my country!

Thank you for your great compliment!! :)


on Jun. 8 2011 at 12:20 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity.
~Amoniel

"Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'"
~Thesilentraven

Wow, to be honest, I have no preconceptions about Algeria, I think it's in Europe, but that's about it. I don't really no anything about it, but from this poem, I now think that it is a beautiful, enchanted place, filled with beautiful, enchanting people.

Thank you for writing this, I really loved reading it :)