The Power of Poetry - International Youth Day 2023

Poem by Esther Olanma Shedrach, 24, Nigeria

They said "the man is the head and woman the neck"

But I've seen a woman who is the head, the neck and the man the stomach.

I've watched her run freely

like spring, watering every

dried ground and making them fertile.

I've seen her piggyback responsibilities,

cracked hard knots

and quench her children's thirst.

Her eyes has been cloudy for long

but for her children's sake

she won't let it rain.

She plays the ball

minds the post

while her husband sits and watch

with a bowl of popcorn.

She plays

She scores.

She plants her seed

watered them with her tears

and hoped they spring forth healthy and one day becomes her shield.

I am that woman.

They said "the man is the head and woman the neck"

But I've seen a woman who is the head, the neck and the man the stomach.

I've watched her run freely

like spring, watering every

dried ground and making them fertile.

I've seen her piggyback responsibilities,

cracked hard knots

and quench her children's thirst.

Her eyes has been cloudy for long

but for her children's sake

she won't let it rain.

She plays the ball

minds the post

while her husband sits and watch

with a bowl of popcorn.

She plays

She scores.

She plants her seed

watered them with her tears

and hoped they spring forth healthy and one day becomes her shield.

I am that woman.

 

"Look Ma! I Made It" by Hania Imran, 19, Pakistan

Look Ma! I made it

I’m in Europe for the first time,

I’m putting on my shiny, new dress in front of the cupboard mirror,

Makeup is not necessary today,

My blush is natural, after all, I have been crying for days

Maybe I’m the one that flooded my own home with my heartbreaks

Maybe it is the tears that the people cried when food was too expensive to eat, that caused their homes to be washed away

That’s what they told me, ma, when I was young

They called it a carbon footprint

As my ma is wiped away

Entire villages, communities, families, and homes, gone over night,

I put on my shiny dress, maybe it will light up the system that has murdered these people

Look Ma, I made it!

I’m in Europe for the first time,

They have big houses, big trees

And Ma, they have breathable air too.

I grab my keys, I go out

I breathe in, breathe out

What a wonderful world to live in.

Ma, I know you are flooding, I know you are burning, and I listen to great songs in Europe

Ma, I dance in Europe

I’m free, Ma

But you have not called in months

And I hope the little pill they sent you in the form of dollars helped you feel better

Something is better than nothing

Look Ma, I made it!

I made it away from you, saved myself from you

You are drowning, I do not want to go down with you

300 children and counting, I might actually learn some maths,

300 children and counting, and none of them will solve cancer

I’m in Europe for the first time, and for the 100th time, my home is dying

900 people and counting, and what’s a few more?

There is no bubble I can live in anymore, it popped and has started submerging countries like mine

My dress, it shines

Ma, you kissed me goodbye at the airport

And I text you everyday, but the electricity was shut out, so maybe you can’t respond

Look Ma, I made it

I am in Europe for the first time and

I am soon to be nowhere found

You are soon to be nowhere found

Look Ma, keep looking

I will fight for you, I will die for you

Ma, we build your noose out of plastic

And I think change needs to happen, drastic

But Ma, we have so many problems of our own

You must get up and dust your own mess

Maybe I will talk to you once I am back home,

Maybe I will never talk to you again

You are a fighter ma and I know you ask yourself, for how much longer must I keep fighting?

Just a little longer Ma, a little longer

Because I hope one day soon the whole world will fight with you.

Look Ma, I made it

I’m in Europe for the first time