Women Walking Alone

I am from long line of women who have walked alone …
From a land that smells of the blood of innocent people
From a people who have lost everything in war – sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers
From a people feeling hopeless
I am from long line of women who have walked alone

I am proud to be the daughter of a brave woman
Who never gave up and showed her children the right way
Who sacrificed herself,
Who in childhood slapped me once to remind me
How important it was to concentrate on my lessons
She was the best mother in the world

I am from long line of women who walked alone…
From a place where I could never hear what my heart told me
And I could only follow what family told me
From a place where I couldn’t express my wishes and I hid my hopes
Where I couldn’t support my rights and I had to accept
Where everybody said
You can’t do it
You can’t go ahead; you can’t achieve your goal

I am from a place where girls are exchanged for money and forced to marry
Where I was humiliated for being for a quiet girl
Where a teacher told me, “I don’t care what you think
Because you can’t do anything.”
I am from a discouraging world that killed my talent because I was girl

I am from long line of women who have walked alone…
From women who failed many times in different situations
I lost my confidence when I lost my mother
Feeling alone without her guidance and losing hope
Feeling afraid to gain knowledge in case there is no freedom
From a culture where girls never see the outside
Sitting in a cage like birds who don’t know how to fly
When my mother leaves me, she tells me—
“Find your way. I cannot always be with you.”
She passed on the responsibility to me.

I am from long line of women who have walked alone…
I know now how to enter society
And find my answers though I’m alone
Learn from my experience though I have failed many times
I never give up
I find my way and learn nothing is impossible to achieve
I ignore those things that destroy my mind
I learn that no one can help me except me
I accept reality and I’m ready to face any problem
Now I have ambition to achieve my goal
To help my people bring peace to the next generation

I am from long line women who have walked alone…

By Shogofa