It was a very hot day
The sun was shining on me as if I had committed a major sin

                     I heard them say it was fifty degrees,
                     What is fifty degrees?

Didn’t know but sure sounded scary
There died seventy people in my community,

                     And here I was out in the heat in search of a bit of bread
                     Hadn’t eaten anything for a few days

But what could I have done,
After all, I had a little innocent sister and a mother to look after

                      I had no energy
                      Felt so horrible, felt so hated, felt like a piece of dust in the street

But I continued to search,
For there laid infinite eternal energy in me 

                        With no shoes on my feet,
                        it felt like walking on fire
                        Having to pass through the restaurant,
                        I defeated my control over hunger.
                        Having to listen to the man with no feelings, a hatred in his face,
                                        Smashed me even more.
                        Having to pull something that weighed ten times heavier than me,
                                        Dropped me to the ground
                                        Like a thirsty tiger being burned in the deserts
                                        Or like one who only had a few breaths to live.

But I continued
                        For I knew there awaits a mother with pride
                        A little girl
                        With high hopes and an empty stomach
Her innocence, her patience, her moon-like face
                        With all this in mind
I arose and gained strength like a tornado does, when it passes through a hot surface.

 So I continued to work all day.

                        After working that never-ending day, which
                                        Seemed more like judgment day
                                        Or the day closest to my death

I earned 40 precious Afghanis
                        With 20 I bought a few naans
                        With 10 I bought onions
                        With 10 I bought yogurt
With my heart bursting with excitement,
                        I reached home.
When my angel saw naan in my hand,

                        She smiled
                                        Exactly what I lived for
                                        Exactly what I dreamed of

So I opened my arms, and she ran into them like the wind
And all the pain I went through
                        Vanished
                        Disappeared
                        Evaporated into the air

And then seeing pride in mom’s eyes
                        Encouraged me to live once again
                        Encouraged me to fight millions of battles like today
                        Encouraged me continue tomorrow. 

Leave a Reply