Arefa Baharat Saber
This poem is for Manizha, a young Afghan girl who was raped by her father in Nimruz, Afghanistan.
Manizha,
I have grieved for your sorrowful fate.
Beautiful girl,
The embrace of papa must be safe
But this time,
Papa dragged you, scarified you to his lust.
No mercy!
No justice!
Only screams!
Papa crucified your childhood
Sacrificed it in the outburst of his own carnality.
Husband gambled you to his friends
In his nights of wins and losses.
Brother ripped you apart
And suffocated your child
Under his hateful feet in the stable.
Where will you seek refuge, my sister?
Where will you turn, you innocent crucified beauty?
Girl, who knows your pain?
Papa?
Husband?
Brother?
Or the God who watches your ill fate from above?
—
Feature image courtesy of Wikimedia and licensed through Creative Commons.
Read this poem in Persian here.