Words by Qaisara binti Idrus

If a word is put next to another word, it would form a phrase. If a word is put
in a line of other words, it would form a sentence. But sometimes words could stand
on their own and sometimes, words need help from other words in order for them to
be able to stand. Sometimes one tiny word could bring a couple of different
meanings and sometimes, a few words could only have one meaning and in some
cases, they mean nothing. Words if studied thoroughly might have deeper and
different meanings than what they stand for. Sometimes words are easier to
understand if we had not looked so deep into them. Words themselves go through
evolution. Words evolve into different ways of spelling and usage in sentences and
as time goes by, more new words are created be it formally or not. Words can be
misconstrued or not understood at all. Sometimes, words need to be followed by
corresponding actions for them to be understood. A bombastic word stands out from
the rest of their friends in a sentence. Some words could even be ignored and a
sentence would make perfect sense. We might get lost in words, or we might
discover something through words. Words if not chosen wisely could change things
from good to bad.
Where am I going with this, you may ask?
The point is, we are as much as it is hard for us to see a lot similar to
words than we know. A lot of people find it hard to put into words when it comes to
describing themselves. I am one of those people. Whenever being asked to describe
myself, I would end up mumbling words that I myself could not understand. I tend to
get lost in finding words to describe who I really am. The worst question that one
could ask is Describe yourself in one word. I dont think I could ever describe
myself in one word. I am a lot more than one word.
Then I look at my friend who asked me the question, I wonder if she could
answer that question herself. Hmm, a friend we all need one in our lives. The word
friend itself cannot stand on its own. A friend, your friend, my friend, her friend,
their friend, were friends, the word friend itself needs a friend next to it for it to be
able to stand on its own. How can you say you dont need one? But perhaps the
word friend can stand on its own if a letter or two is added to it. Friends. Befriended.
Befriending. But the root word still needs another letter to attach to in order to
stand. Therefore, it is verbosely illogical for you to say that you dont need a friend
in your life.
I looked around to see my other classmates. There, that girl in her baju
kurung. Sitting all by herself in a corner, a pencil in her right hand and a ruler in the
other. I wonder if she could describe herself in one word. Well, I could. That girl has
always been so quiet in the class. Does she even have real friends? She doesnt talk
to anybody except the teachers and she is not even trying to socialize. Whats her
story? The mysterious quiet girl wholl end up being a super star? Mysterious. That
one word would suit her. But maybe theres more to this girl than I know or anybody
in this class knows. She is like the word word itself. Deep. So deep. A quiet girl on
the outside, hmm, could she possibly be wild on the inside?

Now to my right I see my friend, Emira. A lot of words coming out from that
girl, I see. What is she even talking about? Shes talking too fast! Her seatmate
Athirah seems to understand as she joyously laughs to whatever that girl is saying.
Her many words only mean one thing to me shes talkative. How can a girl of
many words only mean one thing to me? From what I know, this girl, on the surface
is talkative. I tried looking deeper into this girl on who she is. It took me a few years
to get to know her. She is definitely not a one-word, this girl. She is an incredibly
lazy girl who is overly-attached to her mother and has a great fashion sense. I know
her since I was ten. She has changed so much. She has evolved from a girl who
cared not about how she looks to someone who cares so much about her skin tone,
her hijab, and basically about how she looks from top to toe. She has evolved as
much as words have.
Alright girls, you may go for your recess, says Mr Ong, our Additional
Mathematics teacher.
Qai, where are you sitting? Canteen or bengkel lama? asked Adilah.
Canteen.
One word. Canteen. Perfectly understood.
There, I pointed at the empty table.
She walked towards another empty table beside the table that I pointed at.
No, I mean the other table! stopping her from sitting at the table.
There. One word. Totally misunderstood.
Recess is always my least favourite period of the day on a typical school day.
The rush, the food to choose, the friends to sit with, they are a lot of things that
need to be decided in a short time.
Cliques. It is always during recess you get to see the different cliques sitting
at their own tables. Some cliques even have their official tables that no one dares to
sit at. They know sharp at 10.20 a.m., that table will be filled with a group of pupils.
Some people, when theyre in a group, they seem rather superior. They seem
confident, brave and proud, especially proud when theyre in a group. There is this
girl named Sastika. An amazingly smart and funny girl. Everyone wants to be her
friend, get to know her and be around her. Shes always the talker in her group.
Pretty much like a host in a show where she does all the talking and her friends are
the audience who just laugh, agree, clap, and whatever audience do in a comedy
show. Shes like a bombastic word, she stands out from the rest in a sentence. Shes
different.
In any clique, theres always that one girl who doesnt really open her mouth.
She rarely talks. But there she sits, in a group of people who actually talk. Why
doesnt she speak up and most importantly, why does she even sit with them? I
know this kind of people. I used to be one. The one who sits in a clique just so she
could belong to something. Sitting alone in the canteen is never fun. Its sad, in fact.
I know how it feels to not have a group to sit with, so when there is a group who

accept us, we just join in. We hardly speak up when were in that group because
were afraid that if we say something or just one thing wrong, we might be isolated
again. So we dont want to risk being kicked out of a clique, so we stay quiet. Then
we become that one word in a sentence that if ignored, the sentence still makes
perfect sense. Were the misfits.
I am done and over with those days of finding cliques. I mean, why do we try
so hard to fit in if we were born to stand out? I realize that I am a word of my own. I
could stand on my own but a friend or two could help me stand stronger. I always
get lost in finding that one word that could describe myself and in the midst of
getting lost, I discover something. I discover that one word.
Hey, I already found that one word to describe myself.
What is it? my friend asked.
Its word.