My Afghan girl, don’t cry; get up

Nothing is in your favor.
No one can hear you.
Stop complaining;
No one is listening to you.

My Afghan girl, get up

Raise your voice, get your rights.
It is your life, it is your right.
Don’t expect anything from anyone,
Don’t wait for anyone.

My Afghan girl, get up

Don’t be silent, don’t be crying.
Take the pen, write your future.
You are the mother of our land.
Your land needs you to be strong.

My Afghan girl, get up

Your tears are worthless.
Don’t beg; don’t say, “I can’t do it.”
Stop the violence, stop the crying.

Get up, my Afghan girl

Show the world
That no one can stop you
From getting your rights.

By Shogofa

Photo: Martin Middlebrook

Editor’s note: On April 15, 2009, our writer participated in the demonstration against the Shia Family Law, which was backed by powerful cleric Sheikh Asif Mohseni. About three hundred women faced angry mobs as they walked two miles to deliver their petition calling for the repeal of the Taliban-like restrictions.

Sleeping shouts
Came out for the first time in their lives
Because they were tired of injustice,
Tired of living in a jail, even if it is like a heaven.
Because they believe in freedom.

They came out even though they knew they might die.
They never experienced a protest, but they wanted to,
It could be a huge win
Or a defeat.
No one could believe these sleeping souls
Now awakened to make history
That will take many pages in the history book of life!

They did their parts as members of a group.
They proved we are human –
The same as you –
Our difference is not a reason for our weakness.
They came out and they did what they wanted
Even if they were surrounded with wild animals in human clothes.
The animals pushed them back, giving them a feeling of weakness.

But it was their shouts…

I am the same as you – with the same rights
You can stop my life or keep me at home
But you can never stop our hearts
We will fly and one day defeat you

By Masooma

Photo: Musadeq Sadeq/Associated Press

You showed me the addresses
Of happy streets

You bought me dresses
You brought me to houses of silence

You are my gardener
You are the beauty of my poems

When I take my pen
The words rain tears

By Norwan

Photo: Oxfam / Elisa Bogos

You are a water drop in the water.
You are the only star that gives light
to the galaxy of my heart.

Maybe this drop
holds the value of the world.

Your love
helps make my heart light.

When I feel scared, I find myself in your arms and I feel calm.
Every time I feel pain, the first one I think of is you.

If I’m away from you for a moment, tears flow from my eyes.
If I wake up and don’t see you, I feel like I am the loneliest person in this world.

All of this is for what?
All of this is because you gave birth to me.

All of this
is because my eyes didn’t know anyone but you.

When I cried at night
the only one who was in front of me was you.

I didn’t know walking but you showed me walking.
I didn’t know talking but you showed me talking.

I didn’t know how to live but you showed me the way of living.
I didn’t have power in my arms but you were my power.

My Ume, my mother, I love you.

By Hila G.

I wondered where I was ….
I wondered why I was still there…
Silence meant a lot to me … the hidden secret behind it
I started thinking … as if I never did before
It made me confused … was it something? I wasn’t sure
Then I struggled and I looked into it

I found IT!!!

It was someone whom I wanted
It was you who made me understand
It was you who made my day bright
It was you who made my tears dry
It was you who made me strong
It was you who made me fly

You are my luck, you are my mercy
My life is connected to you

You are my patience …
I find myself alone without you …
Come hold me coz I wanna be yours
I am getting scattered

I can’t stop thinking about you a moment in my life

Things have turned different
My world is empty without you
I can’t live without you

Taking this hope, I am living my life and
Hope that one day you will meet me
And tell me you are mine

You are mine and you are mine …

By Pakiza

I am a daughter of war.
When I was born,

The war was going on.
The sky was dark.
The houses were broken.
The weather was dusty.
The trees were seared.

There was no plant,
No awake human,
No tears in the eyes left.

The streets were covered
By dead human bodies;
The blood was like a river
In the street, house and everywhere.

I didn’t consider failure.
I was full of hope;
I could see

Green places, a blue sky,
Smiles on everyone’s face, tall buildings,
A book in my hand,

Sitting under the tree,
Studying with my parents and siblings,
In my dreams.

But

War never gave this chance.
War took my parents from us.
War took my book

And gave me burqa;
They put me in the jail of burqa.
War forbade me from going outside.

War changed my beautiful land
To the worst place in the world.
War changed our smiles to tears.

War made our dreams
Of going to school,
Freedom of speech,
To be just a dream.

But

I will try.
I will stand for my right.
I will break the silence.
I will show my power.
And I will bring peace
In my country once again.

I promised.

There will be no more war;
I will make my dreams come true.

Once again,
My homeland will be like heaven
And my people will be happy.

By Zahra A.

Photo: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

In the bright sun and sky, the wind is a desirable sound.
From my balcony, I gaze outside—
I feel alone,
I see flowers in the courtyard and sometimes I see the door.

I hope to see a person.
My heart beats and I worry.
I come down from the balcony
and take a bucket full of water for the flowers so that they won’t wither.

When I near each bush, sparrows sing and fly away.
And I am frightened.
A long time passes and I hear
the phone ring.

I stand with difficulty, run to the room, limping, hurrying,
but the sound is stopped.
I wait for the next ring—
slowly the sky darkens, I want to make dinner—

The phone is ringing.

Immediately I answer it. It is my mother’s voice:
“Now you’re to be alone.”

By Yalda J.

AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq

Sorrows are alive
In the walls of my cells
I want to escape with the sparrows
I want to shout

Secretly I cross
I cross out everything
Even life
Even your name—

By Norwan

Photo: Farzana Wahidy/Human Rights Watch