Mehad hamad biography of alberta

Saif Al Manei was born to be a poet. During sixth grade at school, the seeds of poetry began germinating in his heart.

“My father used to buy me short stories, magazines and poems. He would encourage me to read them,” says the year-old father of three, who lives in Al Ain.

As a youngster, Al Manei was not into reading, but eventually something caught his attention.

“I came across stories related to nature, [the] past, life and heritage,” he says. “Each story left me with a positive message; a message of wisdom.”

That’s when he began transforming his thoughts into poems, although he was more inspired to write in English than Arabic.

“Through English poems, I wanted to share our culture and rich heritage with other ­nationalities,” he says.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. During high school, Al Manei’s dream of becoming a poet almost came crashing down when one of his professors degraded his skills.

“I still remember the day when he looked down on my work and told me not to waste time on poetry – he believed it would not benefit me,” he says. “But my father pushed me and believed in my abilities. I didn’t stop writing since then.”

His original work has a powerful sense of patriotism and love for the homeland. One poe