Poems by Alice Y

Alice Y is a junior staff member at the Pate Bana Marankh school. Passionate about girls’ education and rights, Alice came to EducAid when her family fell on hard times and were unable to fund her education. She enjoys writing and sharing her poetry.

 

THERE IS HOPE FOR TOMORROW

 

Seeing young talent wasting on the streets of my beloved country makes me sick!

They are very vibrant yet, they have been neglected

Give them a helping hand to get that which they seek,

Help in training them not to be rejected but to be wanted

 

Support them in attaining the key to unlock their potential

All they need is a pillar to hold on, they can reach the peak

Teach then not negatives but positive credentials

Say no to teenage pregnancy until they are of maturity

Make life much easier for them so their future will not be bleak

Take them to school, give them lasting security

 

Why must they taste the bitterness of the world?

You will do them a whole favour by bringing them to the light.

Ponder not cos that’s the right thing to do

They are strong, wise and full of might

Let’s not sit and watch their future to be doomed

Water them, then they can flourish,

Like petals during the rains, they’ll blossom

To provide food for the society but at the right time.

Move them from the streets, give them homes

Revitalize their dreams, give them achievable hopes.

Educate not just their heads but their hearts as well,

Let them make choices of education and not of marriage

For one day, they can be the answer to society’s ills, for you cannot tell

Protecting them from early marriages saves them from the troubles of miscarriages and unwanted abortions

For I passionately hold the view that better days are ahead

For when they are educated, surely there is hope for tomorrow.

 

MUTILATION IS EXECUTION

 

My heart filled with pain and anger at the mention of this name,

Outdated and inhumane it is, yet our girls are being pushed into it.

What a pity to those who still practice with no bit of shame!

 

Dangerous as it may be, but they still say that’s where they get their hand to mouth,

Look, how many vibrant souls we have lost,

Many died of excessive bleeding

Others, couldn’t withstand the hitting and beating,

Slowly, like a poison injected on food,

They died out of severe pain.

 

Oh, what a shame this tradition has cost!

Think about the helpless souls,

And not your selfish and inconsiderate gains

For the sounds of drums make me sick every day and night

For I know there are troubles waiting on the way.

 

But together we can all make this error right

If only we don’t turn deaf ears to what they say

Stop quenching your selfish thirst at the expense of tomorrow leaders

Recognize their human rights,

And give them a chance to make decisions for their lives.

Forcing them into this can only bring the trauma and fears

If they are wasted, who will we consider as fruitful mothers and wives?

Don’t you see that our society is doomed?

 

Mutilation is execution,

Our sisters, mothers, wives need protection

A practice done with no medical certification

Is as pitiful as an elite with no proper education.

 

Equality Song by Alice Y

 

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