Sometimes I close my eyes
To imagine the world
To imagine a world without war
Without the war that destroyed our beautiful world,
And tore you and me apart.
The war that has been here ever since
I opened my eyes.
Sometimes I close my eyes
To ignore the fear
The fear I see in your eyes
The fear that keeps you silent
The fear that makes you accept the world as it is
Instead of trying to change it.
The fear that has been in your eyes since
I first looked at them.
Sometimes I close my eyes
To feel the peace
The peace I was born with but
Never felt in my heart
The peace that was forgotten
The unattainable peace
That is only a word.
Sometimes I close my eyes
To think about life
The life given to us as a gift and blessing
The life rich with undiscovered beauties
The life that gives me the opportunity to open my eyes
Sometimes I simply close my eyes
To realize I’m still alive to smile.
Even if a simple smile is all I can do.
I’m still here to smile because
I know that peace starts with a smile.
By Shahla G.
Photo by Jay DeFehr
This is a beautifully written poem that expresses the fear and heartbreak of being born during a war while also expressing a quiet determination to bring change. The power of your words makes me feel strongly what life is like for the Afghan people and touches my heart. Thank you for writing this.
Love your words like a prayer. They just went into my prayer book so thal I can rememmber you daily and wish you well, wish you peace.
This is a wonderful poem, i love your words. You are amazing dear!!!!!
Such a beautiful poem. It captures your emotions. God bless you.
Shahla- such a meaningful poem, captured me to feel the unacceptance in todays society caused by the stereotypes after war. When you said in line 4 “and tore you and me apart” is lonesome and sad because of the separation a war will cause. The imagery is very realistic and humbling for simply the appreciation for life. Hurt them with kindness and continue to smile.
Thank you! 🙂
You are an amazing writer Shahla. I am proud of having met you and hope to see more from you for Afghanistan. 😀
Wow very nice!
Proud of you Shahla Jan!
Keep it up!
Dear Shahla, your poem has shown the significance and power that a smile possess. One smile can change how a person feels or acts and that value and importance is important in the lives of your own but also in the life of others. I noticed that you use eyes a lot in your poem and I’d like to interpret that the eyes are the way of looking into your like therefore this poem is based on your perspective, your purpose, and your meaning of life. The words you used to associate with smile and eyes are peace and silence. I like your choice of words because all of these terms are cordial words that I believe allows you to live your best life. Althought you use such positive and friendly words you still manage to use these words to describe a destructive and terrifying situation of a war. Being born during a war and living life through a war is very somber however, using what you know now to try to come out and overcome that situation is the best outcome you have and I believe that this poem does a good job in spreading awareness of what’s happening in your city and your life. Thank you for sharing such an incitful poem that shares so much about your life and situation in just a few words.