A Young Afghan Girl’s Battle Cry
By Wadia Samadi
What is it that you fear?
Is it my laughter, my voice, or my tear?
I am but 12, and I should be in school.
But instead, you give your decree that’s cruel.
Is it my innocence that rattles your soul?
Or the goals within my heart that you do spoil?
I’m just a child, yet you tremble with fright,
As if my very existence threatens your might.
Is it my burgeoning womanhood that makes you frown?
But how is that my fault that you drown?
You spread hate and violence and your venomous creed.
Have you ever thought to control your own greed?
Even in all the oppression, I do not let it crush me.
Deep in my heart I harbor a very rare dream.
A dream of freedom, of skies bright and clear,
Where every child’s laughter is a symphony to hear.
I dream of a world where girls can thrive,
Where education is not a forbidden hive.
So listen to me, Taliban, loud and clear,
I’ll fight for my freedom, I’ll vanquish my fear.
