You cover me with heavy black stones
You would be happy
If I die inside
My dark grave is your scary house
Stones are its walls
You don’t want me to come out
When I run free
You chase me like a hungry hunter
Your eyes spit needles at me
Your bitter tongue kills me four hundred times
But I am going on toward my destination
With no words, no reaction
And you follow me till I am gone
Then you turn back
You harass me because
I wear short clothes
Wear lipstick, makeup
And so on
But I am a simple girl
With no makeup, lipstick or short clothes
I follow our religious laws
So stop!
Don’t put me inside your black house
Is there any reason, man?
Hey, man, listen to me!
It is my right to walk
Be alive
Breathe fresh air
Your harassment is your way
Of putting me in your jail
So don’t you tell me to be good
Instead put your head inside your own neck
And find out your own faults
If you continue to harass women,
Almighty Allah will never forgive you
Sincerely yours,
S Anonymous
Photo by James Dennes
This is a powerful poem that shows just what it feels like to be harassed simply for being female. The line: “Your harassment is your way of putting me in your jail” resonated with me like an alarm bell. So true! Treatment like this makes women afraid to go outside to interact with the world. Thank you for raising your voice against this kind of behavior.
“Instead put your head inside your own neck
And find out your own faults” – Yes! A great many men, all around the world, need to learn this lesson, especially when it comes to how they treat women. A few men eventually learn – far too few. I hope that at least one man will reconsider his conduct after reading your poem.
Dear David Miller,
Thank you for your nice words.
There is so much power in this poem and I love it so much. It makes people think about their actions and I hope that this poem inspires change.
This poem feels unifying in that it perfectly captures the experience of being a woman. I hope that women will read this and know that they’re not alone, as I did. Thank you for this wonderful poem.
Thank you for writing this poem. As a woman, I was able to connect with your words. It is a great and necessary reminder that I am not alone.
This is just an incredible poem to read. Your strength can be felt through your words and tone. It was quite an experience to read this and find the fire you feel inside that fuels you to fight back. It brings a sense of endurance and perseverance that is unique and admirable. If anything, it made me feel like pushing through all my problems as well
Dear S,
This is a great poem that encapsulates the troubles of just being a girl in Afghan. It gives the readers a powerful message about the harassment that many women, no matter what, face. Even girls that follow the religion and wear the appropriate clothing that is a part of the culture are being harassed, and this poem helps others understand what you feel. Your poem educates others of your community about the suffering that they might not even know existed. Not many girls would speak up or write about their troubles, so this is a very inspirational message to Afghan girls everywhere. I think the part of the poem that impacts me the most is when you compared how you were treated to the life of a person in jail saying, “Your harassment is your way/ Of putting me in your jail.” These two lines in the poem notify the readers about the extremes of harassment that you go through and the fact that you are not the only one going through this. Even though other women and girls know how you feel it is not enough because they do not know how to tell others how they feel, and that is why your poem is very important.
A strong blow toward molsters. The metaphor “black house” was effective because it expressed women’s true emotion when they wanted to go out, enjoy their lives but threatened by the risk of sexual harassment. Her accusations were acute and disclosing the tragic fact—teasers are unscrupulous. They would assault female when they want, because they don’t view women as equal beings.There was only one thing I personally felt regret: Author claimed that she shouldn’t be assaulted because she followed all those religious restrictions—do those who disobeyed religious laws deserve harassment? No matter they are obeying rules or not, individual privacy should always be safeguarded as other human rights.