Every year on March 21, the world celebrates World Poetry Day, a moment to recognize the power of poetry to connect people, express lived realities, and inspire change.
Across the Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) network, creative expression is not only an art form; it is a powerful tool for reflection, dialogue, and collective voice. Throughout history and across movements for equality and justice, poetry has given voice to the unheard, challenged systems of oppression, and affirmed resilience in the face of adversity.
This spirit is reflected in the work of our partners in Brazil, Cidadania, Estudo, Pesquisa, Informação e Ação (CEPIA) and Nigeria, Center for Advancement of Development Rights (CEADER). Through leadership and community trainings grounded in WLP’s participatory and feminist leadership methodology, creative expression offers participants a space to reflect on their experiences, articulate their realities, and strengthen their voices.
Across the WLP network, these practices are not only reflective, they are part of a broader approach to building democratic participation and collective power. The poems shared below were written by participants in these trainings and capture their hopes, challenges, and visions for a more equal world.
On this World Poetry Day, we are honored to share these poems with you. Together, they invite us to pause, listen, and reflect on the human experiences that shape movements for change.
TRECHO DE NÓS - FACILITADORAS EM MOVIMENTO (EXCERPTS FOR US: FACILITATORS IN MOVEMENT)
Por que vocês não me elegem? (Why don’t you elect me?)
Por que a gente não se elege? (Why don’t we elect ourselves?)
Por que meu útero te incomoda? (Why does my uterus bother you?)
Por que vocês não pagam meu cachê? (Why don’t you pay my fee?)
Quero mais visibilidade para mulheres cobrarem seus direitos (I want more visibility so women can claim their rights)
Na prática, a teoria é outra (In practice, theory is another thing)
E enquanto perguntamos, sentimos o peso do silêncio… (And while we ask, we feel the weight of silence…)
Não consigo gritar, minha garganta tem um nó (I cannot scream, my throat is tied in a knot)
Quem tem o direito de falar não tem os mesmos corpos que nós (Those who have the right to speak do not have the same bodies as we do)
Parece que não me pertenço, abro a boca e faço a força para gritar (It feels like I don’t belong to myself; I open my mouth and push to scream)
A voz ecoa no vazio das ações que eles nos tem para dar (My voice echoes in the emptiness of the actions they have to give us)
Me revolto, bato na mesa, subo no palanque (I revolt, I pound the table, I climb the stage)
Grito com a força de todas as minhas entranhas (I scream with the strength of all my guts)
Chega: nunca mais vou me calar (Enough: I will never again remain silent)
Se nos posicionarmos, podem nos matar, nos julgar, silenciar (If we take a stand, they may kill us, judge us, silence us)
Desrespeitar, tirar nossos direitos, mas resistir é necessário (Disrespect us, strip us of our rights, but resisting is necessary)
E nesse esforço, lembramos de quem somos… (And in this effort, we remember who we are…)
Abram os olhos de ver (Open your eyes to see)
Nós cansamos de sermos lidas pela cor da nossa pele antes de sermos ouvidas (We are tired of being read by the color of our skin before being heard)
Nós nos queremos vivas e livres (We want ourselves alive and free)
Cansamos de apanhar (We are tired of being beaten)
Somos memória, rio, tambor e futuro (We are memory, river, drum, and future)
De autoria de (Authored by): Marlye, Patrícia, Regina, Sarah, Tatiana, Isabela, Amanda, Ray, Milena, Edimara, Adriana, Juliana, Paula, Josete, Jacira, Scarlet, Carla, Carmen, Bruna e Cris
UNITE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls.
In the silent echoes of shattered dreams,
Lies a world where pain silently screams.
Where strength and beauty, marred and scarred,
Their voices stifled, deeply marred.
Perceptions tangled in societal weave,
A prism of bias, hard to perceive.
Injustice thrives, shadows unseen,
While souls bruised, in silence keen.
But in the hearts that yearn for change,
A united force, a new exchange.
From whispered doubts to voices strong,
Resilience blooms, rights belong.
Empathy and action hand in hand,
Awake the world, make a stand.
For daughters, sisters, mothers dear,
Their safety and peace, crystal clear.
Let not indifference rule the day,
Illuminate truth, in every way.
With knowledge, love, and empathy’s grace,
Erase the stains, let justice embrace.
Together we stand, united, strong,
A beacon of hope, righting the wrong.
To break the cycle, let’s pave the way,
For a world where all can thrive each day.
Awareness blooms, a guiding light,
To end the darkness, make things right.
Preventing violence, a noble fight,
For women and girls, pure and bright.
Authored by: Jamila Usman Gambari
AS MULHERES DA MINHA RUA
As mulheres da minha rua têm histórias que dilatam minhas pupilas
A cada esquina que nos encontramos, uma história faz meu coração saltar do peito.
Vieram de tão longe que os seus pés rachados da longa estrada denunciam que seu maior desejo era a partida
Partir de volta para onde seu corpo saiu, mas seu coração não seguiu a despedida.
As mulheres da minha rua têm a força de uma floresta inteira. Espia! Escuta. Tá ouvindo a ventania?
Sempre planejam um bom jeito de fazer brotar água de pedra, fechar a conta do mês com o que ainda nem têm e proteger quem precisa ser protegido.
As mulheres da minha rua rotam em mim a força de não desistir, de persistir no que eu acredito. Talvez elas não saibam, mas são luz, são estradas.
Elas são o próprio caminho.
De autoria de (Authored by): Priscila de Jesus
We invite you to read, consider, and share these poems — and to amplify the voices and experiences they carry. Let them spark conversation, deepen understanding, and remind us that the pursuit of equality is not only a political struggle, it is a profoundly human one.