Teenage Writers Workshop, September 2014
Teenage girls in Afghanistan are often caught in a conflict between fear of repressive traditions and brave hopes that their country’s postwar future will improve for women.
What Will I Be?
A lawyer or a doctor or government worker…
Play the violin…
Be a painter?
Beauty of Sanglakhat
The fruit is delicious.
I once was caught with my cousins and siblings,
eating from the garden’s grove—
I Want to Be an Astronaut
One of my role models is the first woman astronaut—Valentina Tereshkova from Russia. She wants to go to Mars, even if it she cannot return.
Rain
Clouds drop their precious tears
Covering tears on earth
Taliban Attack Outside My School
All of my classmates were crying and asking one another, “What to do now?”
Orphan Girl
Some of our cultural customs have destroyed many women’s lives. Part of the problem is a tradition that the boy’s family gives a huge amount of money to the girl’s family in order to give permission for the marriage.
Mazar My Homeland
There is no Taliban
Sometimes there is fighting, but not like Kabul.
Surfer, Rock Climber, Gymnast
Since I was little I have wanted to be a gymnast, a rock climber, a figure skater, a surfer, and a soccer player. I can’t do any of those in Afghanistan, but I still try.