This poem is for the street children and orphans of my country who need love, care, and our support.
Alone in this world,
No love of a mother,
No care from a father,
My body shaking with hunger,
My eyes filled with tears.
With every step that I take,
Doors close in front of me.
You see my face,
But not my heart.
The brightness of day
Is darkness for me.
They call me an orphan,
A little girl in an old dress.
There is no new year for me,
No Eid, no celebrations.
My life is spent
Washing dishes
Caring for the home.
I have no friends.
I need love!
I have one dream,
And it is to die.
The grave is better
Than my life.
I am a little child,
Alone in this world.
I am an orphan.
By Nahid W.
Photo by Mohamed Somji.
This is a heartbreaking poem, beautifully written. Thank you for speaking up for them.
Nahid,
Thank you for this poem. You are a wonderful writer, and I want you to know that I hear you. I am listening. Keep fighting for these children, we will fight with you.
This poem speaks out so strongly as the lost child who is simultaneously pitied and ignored. The line ‘a little girl in an old dress’ is very visual and visceral. Thank you for sharing.
A tragically beautiful piece of work- thank you for sharing your voice with us all.
Dear Nahid,
This is beautifully written poem and is very touching. I am not an orphan, but a child wishes for the same things as what you wrote. It hurts to see that there are kids out there who don’t receive care, love, or support from anyone. This poem is very visual in the aspect of a child who receives pity from onlookers yet receives nothing else that a child wants or loves. It is a terrible tragedy that children face in Afghanistan and many places of the world. The different reasons these children are orphans are very depressing on their own but Afghan needs voices like you to continue to write and publish the experiences and stories of Afghan. As you will continue to resist the oppression from the Taliban and power to the people, the outsiders will also come to support. Keep writing Nahid, you are the one of the voices of the orphans and people of Afghan.
love your voice and your thoughts for us. I need love too. Wish someone knew. I am still a child but they already made me feel like a woman who needs to hold on account for everyone. I am tired but I will fight even harder…
keep writing and I will wait for the other ones to read..
The bond between parents and children is a special one. There isn’t another in the world that can match that. Your parents are the ones that introduce you to the world, shape you, and get you ready to become independent. Your parents will never abandon you. In their own way, they only wish the best for you. For someone to never have felt that bond breaks my heart. The loneliness felt without these key, influential figures in your life is inconceivable. The visualization and detail emphasized in this poem shows the anguish felt by the author. Celebrations and festivals that are meant to be joyous occassions turn into lonely nights alone. There is no one for the author to lean on, no one for them to talk to. She needs to care for herself, do all the housework, all the chores. While others want material positions, all the author wants is a family; all she wants is someone to have faith in. Someone she knows only cares about her well-being. Someone who will sacrifice their time and money to make her happy. She needs love. Unconditional, unwavering love.
Dear Nahid,
This poem was heartbreaking to read. I actually teared up in the middle of it, thinking about all the poor little children that this poem must represent. No child should ever have to go through the circumstances you describe. Children need parents, shelter, food, and especially unconditional love. Some lines of this poem that stood out to me were “I have no friends/I need love!/I have one dream,/And it is to die.” The life they are living is so dangerous and horrid that they’d rather escape the world. So many children living in poverty need help and support. They need someone to love them. It hurts to think about how many of them have no idea how long they have to wait for another meal. They feel truly alone, trying to survive in a rather cruel world. When you described them all alone on celebration days and festivals, it gave me so much heartache. Happy days are lonely days for orphans. These children cannot be ignored. The world needs to take action, and that starts with people spreading awareness like you! Thank you for speaking up and fighting for these children. This poem was beautifully written and very emotional.