I Thought It Was a Dream But When I Woke, I Couldn’t Walk
I asked my mom is it possible / That my legs and my hands / will grow again? / No one / No one / No one answered me. / Everyone, including the doctor, was silent.
Peace Appears
There is a knocking on the door / Then let the door open… / Towards what? / Towards peace / But Peace said: / “I want to appear / When there is / No war, no murder, / No suicide attacker, no human trafficking
Winter for Poor
Poor said: / When winter comes / Death comes / Cold house / No electricity / No fuel / No warm clothes / No food / No chance to work / On the street / Streets filled with slosh, mud / Where should we work?
The Nature of Natures
Rain appears from clouds / Tears appear from eyes / Blood appears from wounds / Wounds appear from grief / Poverty appears from brokenness / Anger appears from high tension / War appears from conflict / Love appears from the heart
Pomegranate
Green tree / Bearing red light / You hang red light / For festivals / Inside that light / You will find / The secret / Search that secret / You will find / Treasure of skin-covered ruby / Formed granular
The Fake Talib
During the Taliban regime, all Afghan shopkeepers were required to lock their doors at 1 p.m and go to the masjeed (mosque) for prayer. Islam says that we shouldn’t pressure Muslims to pray; they should know themselves to pray, and know when prayer time is. But in the Taliban period, those who kept their shops open during prayer time were punished.
Because I Am a Woman
When I open my eyes to this world, everyone turns sad. / When they learn my gender, people say oh my God. / When I am small and need my father’s love and kindness, he turns his back on me, giving all his love to his sons instead.
The Bamiyan Buddhas
On the morning of March 9, 2001, we were all sitting near the table waiting for Father to join us for breakfast. My father came out of the bathroom and turned on the radio. He used to listen to the radio even when we didn’t have electricity. He would use the batteries to listen to the news. After a minute, we heard a BBC report that in Bamiyan, the Taliban…
The Sun Prepares Good Landai
One autumn day when the air was filled / With wood smoke, when the sun / Twinkled from behind blown clouds / When the wind puffed up the trees, we asked our mom / “Could you prepare landai for the winter?” / “Yes,” she said, “but you must help me.”