Ali Saeed is a first year student at the University of Toronto.  He is always learning and experimenting with new things related to photography. He feels that he has a very long way to go and would love to hear constructive criticism regarding his photography from the Keeping It Halal community. 

_ Can you imagine a world where violence was never the answer,
where the streets were clean of drugs, thugs and gangbangers,
can you imagine a world,
where aggression was solved by the suppression of anger
never resulting to the point of being hand cuffed and thrown in the hanger,
can you imagine a world,
where bystanders wouldn’t just stand there and watch while innocent people were getting shot,
Can you imagine mayhem being struck in a country that cant afford clean water,
can you imagine losing a son or daughter, mother or father because someone carelessly pulled the trigger,
can you imagine the tears of a Palestinian kid having to watch his parents die,
in the midst of bullets falling from the sky,
but a kid like that never cries instead he bleeds from his eyes,
with pain permanently engraved in his pupils, his brain, shell shocked, hes an orphan,
a rebel carrying a pouch full of pebbles,
promising to himself that if he sees another tank he’s gonna stone it to the ground,
he lives in a place where its never safe and never sound, 
he never sleeps, terrified that the gunshots in his nightmares might pierce through his skull,
so he prays during days that are dull,
wishes that his dirt filled skies become blue,
can you imagine what would happen if his wishes came true,
if peace substituted for war and war no longer existed,
if the system wasn’t twisted and you wouldn’t get convicted for speaking the truth,
where we didn’t need to hide from our own shadows,
congregating in dark corners where the sun wouldn’t spot us,
see that’s how afraid we’ve become,
convinced that we’re the ones disturbing the peace,
they tell us, they tell us they want world peace,
but what they really mean is that they want the world in pieces,
segregated as the death rate increases,
stacking lies on top of lies, until their towers kiss the skies these cowards in disguise hide behind unfulfilled promises,
promising a better future trying to manipulate our consciences,
chaining down our brains making us their psychological hostages,
you see they control what we think, make us forget about these kids,
like this Palestinian kid whos afraid hes gonna die,
in the midst of bullets falling from the sky,
so he shuts his eyes, covers his ears and pretends hes invisible,
wrapped up in a blanket that he hopes is invincible,
little does he know that bullets can penetrate through cloth, skin and bones,
but don’t worry,
because it can never pierce a heart made of gold,
a soul as pure as the driven snow

See I always thought I was a wise man
better than
the average man
Until that day
It was a beautiful summer day
I had no idea what was coming my way
I was walking down the street
moving to my own beat
Then I saw her
She was a Goddess
She was the perfect girl
with a body that was out of this world
Sitting in the park
I swear as she sat there
It was almost a perfect picture
Her outfit showing she had excellent style
On her face this heart stirring smile
The cool breeze blowing her hair
I just had to stare
She saw me and gave me an inquisitive look
I was kinda shook
So I set a smile her way
She sent a smile my way
and with out delay
I started walking in her direction
hoping that I could win over this image of perfection
To me it seemed like our fates were intertwined
As if the stars were all aligned
Not a chance meeting but something of God's design