A Better Day Will Come
Hosnia Mohseni
Sister,
The day will come when you and I will fly
Over the proud hills of our land.
A day will come when the doors won’t be locked
And falling in love will not be a crime.
You and I will let our hair fly,
Wear red dresses,
And intoxicate the birds
Of our vast deserts
With our laughter.
We will dance among the red tulips of Mazar
In memory of Rabia.*
That day is not far.
Perhaps it is just around the corner.
Perhaps it is in our poetry.
*Rabia: First recorded woman Persian poet, she was killed for falling in love and writing poetry.
—
Don’t Pity Me
Shamila Mohammadi
I am woman.
I am powerful.
I am courageous,
Courageous enough to go to school
Despite a thousand obstacles on my way.
I proclaim with pride:
No matter how much harassment I face
I will continue to open the way
So that one day other women will be comfortable.
Women are not siasar.* Woman are full human beings.
Don’t pity me.
Respect me for who I am.
**Siasar: A derogatory term used to describe women in Afghanistan. It transliterates to “black-headed”.
—
Photo by Hosnia Mohseni of a mural painted by Afghan women in Mazar-e-Sharif.
To read these poems in Persian click here.